ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the theoretical problem squarely and open-mindedly: how to explain "unnatural" voting, that is voting that contradicts one's "true" class interests. The demonstrated need to distinguish class voting from cultural voting implies that a negligible relationship between class position and voting behavior does not necessarily mean that "class hardly affects the vote." The one-sided focus on class-based economic interests and economic voting motives is remarkable, because Seymour Martin Lipset has already pointed to culturally rightist tendencies in the working class in the 1950s. Lamont proposes instead that cultural capital, that is the ability to recognize cultural expressions and comprehend their meaning, is decisive. The effect of cultural participation, however, is significant and positive in the first model, indicating higher odds of voting left for those who are more culturally active. The role of education in both analyses deserves some comments. Its effect is negative among "natural" voters, but positive among "unnatural" voters.
