Using underlying priorities for rational choice explanations

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This academic paper critically examines the limitations of rational choice theory in understanding voter turnout, proposing that intrinsic benefits can better explain participation in elections. It highlights how different political values, such as materialism versus postmaterialism, influence voter behavior and turnout determinants like appreciation of democracy, social norms, party identification, and material resources. By employing logistic regression on data from German election studies, the research reveals variability in the impact of social norms and material resources based on these underlying values, while the effects of other determinants remain ambiguous.