The power of habit and electoral participation of ethnic Chinese in New Zealand

The political integration of immigrants into their host country is in part a test of how well a democratic society copes with diversity. This thesis focuses on Chinese immigrants and their electoral participation in New Zealand. Specifically, it draws on the habitual voting theory to probe whether and how much immigrants’ pre-migration experiences affect their civic engagement in New Zealand.

The habitual voting theory emphasises the footprint effect of early voting or nonvoting on a person’s subsequent electoral participation. It indicates that after several repetitions of participation or non-participation in their first few elections, most people persist in voting or abstaining irrespective of their evolving political experiences and attitudinal changes over the life-cycle. Accordingly, this thesis expects the presence or absence of pre-migration democratic experience to be a key determinant of Chinese voter turnout in New Zealand. Moreover, the influence of pre-migration political experience may be sizeable and enduring. It is likely to moderate the effects of immigrants’ post-migration experiences and their accumulated socio-political orientations, resulting in a persistent variation in turnout among New Zealand Chinese born and raised in different societies. This research further hypothesises the existence of habitual attitudes among immigrants. Political predispositions picked up early in the birthplace may endure after emigration, helping immigrants navigate New Zealand politics and shaping their voting choices. To examine the above theoretical expectations, this thesis employs various surveys and observational data with a sufficient sample size of New Zealand Chinese. The primary data source is the New Zealand General Social Survey (NZGSS). Multiple supporting sources of information such as the New Zealand Vote Compass Survey and the New Zealand Election Study are used to fill the gaps left in the NZGSS. The results obtained using a wide range of statistical methods confirm that initial political experience in the origin society leaves a strong footprint effect, leading to more continuity than change in how New Zealand Chinese view and participate in politics. A persistently low rate of turnout is found among those from marginally democratic or non-democratic societies. Early redistributive preferences appear to remain stable over time, making individuals from less egalitarian societies more likely to vote for centre-right political parties in New Zealand. These findings lend support to the habitual voting theory. Participatory habits acquired early in life are sticky and can be transferred from one political context to another. Without considering the power of habit, one cannot provide a complete explanation of immigrants’ electoral participation.