Abstract

CORREA, Andrea  and  FORERO, Diana. Reasons for electoral abstention due to apathy in the population of Bogota who have never voted. suma neg. [online]. 2014, vol.5, n.12, pp.105-114. ISSN 2215-910X.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-910x(14)70032-1.

Electoral abstention in Colombia is evidence of the lack of interest that the population have in exercising their right to vote and elect their governments. Among the types of abstention are, abstention due to apathy, in which the severe consequences of the abstention are ignored, and voting is not motivated by giving excuses not to do so. The aim of this study has been to examine and identify the main reasons and functions of the incentives applying the Behavioural Perspective Model (BPM) developed by Foxall (2011) to abstention in three apathetic voters of the city of Bogota, male and female between the ages of 28 and 56, using the compiling of information from an in-depth interview technique. In the result employing the verbatim from a hermeneutic analysis, it showed that the main reasons for abstention due to apathy are rejection or lack of credibility in the political system, presence of informational incentives to vote of intangible symbolic value to abstentionism such as, discrediting the act of voting or a perception of lack of competence or the presence of corruption among the candidates. Furthermore, it is perceived that the right to vote as another possibility not as a civic duty. These findings are relevant to the electoral and public management of the Colombian democratic system.

Keywords : Abstentionism; Vote; Reasons for abstentionism; Consumer behavior; Political psychology.

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