An Analysis of the ‘Friends and Neighbours’ Effect in an Irish Urban Constituency

Abstract

The literature on the ‘friends and neighbours’ effect on voting behaviour has focused almost exclusively on the analysis of predominantly rural constituencies. This paper examines the influence of a ‘friends and neighbours’ type of voting in Dublin West, in the 1981 General Election. Dublin West is an urban constituency, and this analysis suggests that a ‘friends and neighbours’ analysis offers some insights into the basis of electoral support for individual candidates in an urban context.