On this episode of inFocus with David Coletto, I'm joined by Dr. Jean-Francois Daoust, a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Daoust is co-author, with Dr. Andre Blais, of a book titled “The Motivation to Vote” which was published in 2020 by UBC Press.

Although we spend a lot of time talking about which party or candidate is up or down in the polls, or which issues voters care most about, elections are fundamentally about the act of voting.

Why do people vote? Why do others stay home? And what role do perceptions, attitudes and values play in voter turnout?

In the book, Blais and Daoust write, “Voting is a quintessential human decision, based on a combination of emotions and instrumental calculations, full of complexities, ambiguities, and sometimes contradictions.” Lots for us to unpack.

In our conversation, we explore voting, talk about his book and go deep exploring why some people vote and others don’t.

If you haven’t read the book, I strongly recommend it.