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Social Identity and Voting Behavior in a Deeply Divided Society: The Case of Israel

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  • Rami Zeedan

    (Jewish Studies Program, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA)

Abstract

This paper examines what best explains political behavior in a deeply divided society. Despite the democratic nature of the Israeli political system, we suggest that Israel’s society is characterized by social affiliations mainly defined by social identity that include race, ethnicity, and religion and amount to tribalism. Based on the results of the 2020 election, we examined whether these social affiliations or other socioeconomic characteristics better explain voting behavior. First, we found a significant correlation between tribalism and voting behavior in Israel and socioeconomic characteristics and voting behavior in Israel. When comparing tribalism’s correlation versus other socioeconomic characteristics, we found that the correlation between tribalism and voting behavior in Israel trumps the correlation between socioeconomic characteristics and voting behavior in Israel, except for the Ashkenazi Jews. In other words, voting behavior is better explained by affiliation to the social group, that is, by kinship, race, ethnicity, and religion, than by other socioeconomic characteristics such as education level, economic status, or geographic location. This extends the idea of “in-group favoritism”.

Suggested Citation

  • Rami Zeedan, 2024. "Social Identity and Voting Behavior in a Deeply Divided Society: The Case of Israel," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:14:y:2024:i:9:p:177-:d:1475353
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Richardson, Bradley M., 1988. "Constituency Candidates Versus Parties in Japanese Voting Behavior," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 82(3), pages 695-718, September.
    2. Kotler-Berkowitz, Laurence A., 2001. "Religion and Voting Behaviour in Great Britain: A Reassessment," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(3), pages 523-554, July.
    3. Barbara Okun, 2004. "Insight into ethnic flux: Marriage patterns among jews of mixed ancestry in Israel," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(1), pages 173-187, February.
    4. Avi Ben-Bassat & Momi Dahan, 2012. "Social identity and voting behavior," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 193-214, April.
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