ANN ARBOR—Men are more likely to find politics exciting while women balance their political interest among several factors, including having a personal stake in government affairs.

“Although we traditionally think of men as more engaged in politics, this study shows that, in fact, men and women may just have different ways of thinking about political interest,” said author Debra Horner, a graduate instructor in the University of Michigan Department of Political Science.” By differentiating between dimensions of political interest such as a taste for politics or feelings of stake in the system, we can understand more about gender differences in both political attitudes and in participation.”

She is presenting her findings from a new study at the annual Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago today (April 20).

Horner studied responses about interest in government and public affairs, including items pertaining to three categories: a” taste” for politics, which includes those who think their interest in politics is legitimate and entertaining; a sense of stake in political outcomes, which gauges how politics affects one personally; and a desire for oversight of public officials, which involves citizens monitoring what happens in government affairs.

Items that respondents were asked to rate included:

“I find politics exciting.

“I usually enjoy television or newspaper stories about politics and government affairs.

“Good citizens stay informed.

“It’s worth the time to keep informed about political issues.

Gender differences in taste and stake affected patterns on how men and women participate in politics. For example, not only are men more likely to report higher levels of taste but taste is the most important component in determining male voter turnout. Meanwhile, women’s turnout is predicated on both elements of taste and stake, she said.

“In other words, while it’s primarily men’s enjoyment of politics that encourages them to vote, women’s interest as both enjoyment and self-interest promotes their voter participation,” Horner said.

When asked a general survey question about interest in politics, about 42 percent of men responded that they are” very interested” in government and public affairs, compared with 34 percent of women. Women are more likely to say that they are only” somewhat interested”” 60 percent of female respondents compared with 54 percent of male respondents.

In responses to the specific political interest items, men gave more positive responses to finding politics exciting and enjoying political discussions and news” that are the” taste” indicators.

Respondents were also asked about feeling responsible for what goes on in politics and if they thought” good citizens pay attention”” both measure the need for oversight. There was little difference between men and women on these measures, the study said.

Women reported greater agreement with the three measures of stake in politics” feelings that politics influences one’s life, that it is worth the time, and that it safeguards interests.

“Although stake was hypothesized to play a larger role in women’s interest specifically in local politics, it appears that women’s interest generally is more likely to be linked to a sense of stake than is men’s,” she wrote.

Horner also looked at four modes of political behavior that affected participation: voting, time-based activities such as attending meetings or working on campaigns, contributing money, and contacting officials.

Contributing to political campaigns and organizations had the greatest contrasts between genders. For men, interest as both taste and stake played a role in determining if a respondent made a political contribution. Men who said they enjoy politics and who perceive a direct effect on their lives are more likely to contribute. For women, interest does not appear to be an important factor in the decision to contribute to political campaigns.

Horner examined data collected in the 2004 Political Interest Survey, which collected responses by telephone from a national random sample. The 411 completed interviews represented a 31 percent response rate.

For more about political science at Michigan, visit: http://polisci.lsa.umich.edu/