A Study of the Relationships Between Voting Patterns of Senior Citizens and Selected Demographic, School Exposure, and Opinion Variables (Michigan).

Abstract

This study focused on the school millage voting behaviors of senior citizens in the South Lyon (Michigan) area. The problem was set in a large context of the difficulties of getting a majority of voters to approve millage levies for funds to support local school programs. Senior citizens were selected as a study group because they are often cited as the element responsible for millage levy failure and because their percentages are on the increase in most communities in the U.S. One assumption of this study was that by underst and ing the voting behaviors of local senior citizens, school officials would be better able to devise millage election strategies. Study data were gathered through a mail survey. Data were collected concerning two dependent variables, election participation and "yes"/"no" voting, and fifteen independent variables: age, sex, marital status, education, housing status, income, gr and children in school, age group exposure, source of school information, school activity exposure, and opinions about schools in general, financial management, student discipline, the teaching staff and the administrative staff. Data were analyzed in terms of cross-break tables, chi-square calculations, and the contingency coefficient. The results of this study led to six general conclusions: (1) of the three independent variable sets, school opinion variables were most closely related to senior citizen voting behavior; (2) involved and moderately involved South Lyon seniors tended to vote and vote "yes" in the millage election; (3) except for income, housing status, and marital status, demographic variables were not strongly related to voting behavior; (4) voting behavior profiles suggested that school opinion and school activity variables particularly were interrelated with voting behaviors of South Lyon seniors; (5) South Lyon seniors tended to vote and vote "yes" in the 1981 millage elections; and (6) South Lyon seniors, compared to the U.S. seniors population, were atypical in terms of educational level and income. Results also suggested areas for further study. Study results led to suggested strategies useful in formulating millage campaigns.