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Tax Policy Attitudes and the 1996 Presidential Election

Southern Illinois University

Stephen T. Mockabee

University of Cincinnati

This study examines whether voters employ a collectively based evaluation of tax policies whenvoting. We model public opinion toward Bob Dole's 15% income tax cut proposal and assess theissue's impact on presidential vote choice in 1996. A pre-election survey experiment offered twoversions of a question about tax cuts: One presents the issue in terms of what is right or wrong forthe country (collective version), whereas the other poses a "favor or oppose" question (individualversion). We find that support for the tax cut is far greater in the individual version than in thecollective version, and asking voters to consider the potential fiscal consequences of the tax cutdrives down its popularity. However, logit models of vote choice show that support for the tax cuthas a greater effect on vote choice when judgment of the policy is based on its collectiveconsequences.

Key Words: tax policy • 1996 election

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