8.12 Valence issues

Some issues lack conflict: all people want the same outcome. All people want less crime, more prosperity and less poverty, less inflation, better health, peace, and security.

• People may have different beliefs about what to do to attain those objectives, but they don’t really care about the means, they care about the outcome.

• In the context of elections, economic conditions are the most important valence issue. If voters are satisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to support the party in power, while voters’ unease about the economy tends to favor the opposition.