Socio-demographic factors and civic voting behaviour: the case of Vancouver

Socio-Demographic Factors and Civic Voting Behaviour: The Case of Vancouver considers the relationship between voting behaviour in the 2008 Vancouver municipal election and socio-demographic characteristics of people living in Vancouver’s voting divisions. It includes a focus on voting behaviour and the socio-demographic variable of housing tenure. While related studies on election behaviour have taken place at the federal and provincial levels, little has taken place at the municipal level. Using quantitative data from Statistics Canada 2006 Census and City of Vancouver 2008 election, the hypotheses of these relationships are tested using regression analysis. The explanatory variables found to have a statistically significant influence on the vote for Vision Vancouver, the centre-left civic party, are university education, Chinese immigrants, rented dwellings, voter participation, youth, and persons 55 years and over. The socio-demographic data is further analyzed with thematic maps to provide additional context about the location of these voters in Vancouver.