Cultural Variations in the Relationships among Network Political Agreement, Political Discussion Frequency, and Voting Turnout

We add to the evidence regarding cross-national differences in political discussion by using survey data from North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Asia gathered as part of the Comparative National Elections Project, combined with data on cross-national cultural differences from Hofstede (2001). First, we develop a general model linking network political agreement, political discussion frequency, and voting turnout. Then, we theorize how cultural variations-focusing on individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance-may affect political discussion frequency and also strengthen (or weaken) the relationships predicted in the general model. Our results provide evidence of cultural variations in political discussion as well as variations in relationship strength across cultures.