Social Class and Voter Preference in Recent Mexican Elections
2012 ◽
Vol 28
(2)
◽
pp. 327-350
◽
Keyword(s):
The influence of social class on the decisions of Mexican voters is, according to recent literature, modest and irrelevant. In this paper I reassess the role of class in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2006. After discussing how social class should be conceptualized and measured in election surveys, I analyze exit poll data from these two elections. The results show that class is a potent force in Mexican elections and that the middle class, in particular, has played a critical role in the transformation of Mexican politics.