本文討論民主轉型期的六次立委選舉(1980-1995)中,社經背景與反對陣營支持間的關係。文中分析民主轉型不同階段的政經環境,包括朝野陣營的憲政主張以及經濟與兩岸政策,如何影響不同社經背景民眾對反對陣營的支持。實證發現,教育、所得與職業對投票支持的影響,在民主轉型的不同階段,作用並不相同。在民主改革啟動前的1980與1983年兩次選舉中,教育與所得並不顯著,而在民主改革進行期的1986與1989年兩次選舉中,高教育與高所得民眾展現出對反對陣營較積極的支持。解嚴之前高社經地位者雖然擁抱較高的民主價值,但是對於民主變革對政治經濟體制穩定的可能擔心,未有效轉化成為對反對陣營的支持,只有在民主改革進行期才出現較積極的支持。與此相對,職業群體方面,自營商與藍領勞工在民主啟動前與後,相對於軍公教,均持續偏向支持反對黨。另外,隨著民主改革的完成,以及主要政黨政經政策的進一步趨同,不同社經背景與投票支持之間的關係,在1992與1995年的選舉中不復存在。
This article explores the relationship between socioeconomic status and support for the opposition by examining six legislative elections in the democratic transition period between 1980 and 1995. We demonstrate how political economic environment, framed by the constitutional, economic, and cross-strait policies of the main parties, influences voters' vote choice. Before the launching of democratic reforms in 1986, individuals of a higher socioeconomic status tend to embrace democratic values but fail to translate into concrete electoral support for the opposition camp due to the concerns about the potential shocks to the stability of the political economic system. It is only after the onset of democratic reforms that this group begins to reveal their support for the opposition camp. In contrast, the relationship between occupations and vote choices was largely stable in the decade of the 1980s. Both petty bourgeois and blue-collar labor were consistently in favor of the opposition party. With the democratic reforms come to an end and the convergence of the two main parties' policies, the significant relationship between socioeconomic status and voting choice vanished in the 1992 and 1995 elections.