When life happens: the impact of life events on turnout

Habit is among the most influential explanations for why people vote. Scholars have addressed impact of individual disruptions to habitual voting, but analyses including several life events are rare. We combine two panel surveys, conducted in UK during 1991-2017, examine unemployment, retirement, changes partnership status, moving and disability on voting. distinguish between voters, occasional voters non-voters. For all voter groups, turnout declines with divorce. other events, impacts diverge across groups. Overall, findings suggest that social connections strongest underlying mechanisms explaining changes. Although results support voting habit thesis, they also previous research has overstated persistence habits. The revise some canonical by demonstrating differs different habits events.