Self-Reported versus Proxy-Reported Voter Turnout in the Current Population Survey

Abstract

The Current Population Survey (CPS) Voter Supplement is a premier source of data on turnout in the United States. A little-known aspect of the survey is that for a sizable proportion of people, turnout is measured by proxy—one member of a household reports for another member—rather than self-reports of having voted. The purpose of this research note is to investigate how the use of proxy-reported turnout affects conclusions about the determinants of turnout in America. The results suggest a generally optimistic assessment. Although proxy-reported turnout is about 4 percentage points lower than self-reported turnout, the individual-level correlates of turnout and interstate turnout differences are mostly similar for the two measures.