Examining the Relationships Between Voting Behavior, Intention, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Expectation

The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985) are compared in terms of predictive validity and a comparison between behavioral expectation (BE) and behavioral intention (BI) as the immediate antecedent of behavior is offered. In addition, the relationships between attitude-toward-the-act (Aacf), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) as predictors of BE are examined. Results indicate that the theory of planned behavior is a better predictor of intention than the theory of reasoned action and that BI is a stronger predictor of behavior than BE. The results also suggest that Aact, SN, and PBC are better predictors of BI than of BE and that development of a behavioral plan moderates the Aact-BI-B relations.