The Effects of Evaluative Attitudes on Voter Behaviour: a Case Study of the 2017 Party Primaries in Nyeri County in Kenya

Abstract

The factors that influence the decision of Kenyan voters to choose the candidates they elect remain largely misunderstood. Random inquisition about what determines voters’ choice almost always returns the same answer: ethnicity. The objective of the study was to assess the effects of evaluative attitudes on voter behaviour using the case of the 2017 party primaries in Nyeri County and therefore illustrate that the average Kenyan voter is more rational than they get credited for. Specifically, the study sought to determine the effects of responsiveness evaluations, performance evaluations and integrity evaluations on voter behaviour. By selecting a largely ethnically homogeneous study area and by using the case of party primaries, the study eliminated ethnicity and dominant political parties as variables that may influence voter behaviour. The study relied on primary data collected by surveys. The rational choice theory was adopted for this study. In its application to the study, the theory assumes that voters are rational beings, that individuals are opportunity maximizers and that individuals are self-interested who make decisions based on cost-benefit analysis. Study findings lead to the conclusion that voters in Nyeri County are rational actors. It was found that positive evaluations of the candidates’ performance, their ability to respond to the needs of their communities as positive evaluations of their integrity lead to reward at the ballot by the voters while negative evaluations lead to electoral loss for the unfortunate candidates.