Abstentionism, Schooling and Trust in Institutions: The 2003 Federal Elections in Mexico

Authors

  • Rodrigo Salazar Elena Flacso
  • Benjamin Temkin Yedwad

Keywords:

electoral abstentionism, schooling, performance, trust in institutions, Mexican elections

Abstract

The 2003 midterm federal elections in Mexico reveal that municipalities whose populationsscore higher on educational attainment also exhibit lower voter turnout rates, thus contradictingan empirical regularity found in Mexico and in democracies, more generally. This article usesdata from the 2000 and 2003 Latinobarometro surveys and panel data from the 2001-2003 NationalSurvey of Political Culture and Citizen Practices (ENCUP) to explore the individual determinants of this aggregate finding. It argues that this municipal-level result is a product of the fact that morehighly educated citizens reduced their levels of trust in political institutions. This study shows thatdeclining levels of trust were themselves a result of a drop in citizen assessments of institutional performance,where performance is operationalized as citizen evaluations of the political class and ofthe results of its actions.

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How to Cite

Salazar Elena, R., & Temkin Yedwad, B. (2007). Abstentionism, Schooling and Trust in Institutions: The 2003 Federal Elections in Mexico. Política Y Gobierno, 14(1), 5-42. http://www.politicaygobierno.cide.edu/index.php/pyg/article/view/269