Dr Jill Sheppard
Areas of expertise
- Australian Government And Politics 160601
- Comparative Government And Politics 160603
Research interests
Political behaviour (voting, non-electoral participation and attitudes)
Australian and comparative politics
Internet politics and e-participation
Survey and quantitative methodology
Researcher's projects
Gender, resources and participation
- This study finds that although women traditionally have fewer opportunities in which to participate in political activity, they are disproportionately more likely to have exposure to political petitions and more likely to sign them. With recent declines in traditional petitions in favour of online or e-petitions, this research looks at the implications for women's political participation and voice.
Compulsory voting and political knowledge
- Comparing the effects of electoral systems on citizens' factual political knowledge across a range of countries, this ongoing research has found that compulsory voting reduces the gaps in political knowledge between the well-educated and under-educated, particularly where compulsion is complemented by strong enforcement.
Compulsory voting and electoral enrolment in Australia
- Examining electoral abstainers in Australia, particularly those who abstain by choosing not to join the electoral roll. Under compulsory voting laws, Australian abstainers are less visible than in comparable democracies. This research uses aggregate census data to build a profile of non-voters in Australia.
Political participation and the internet in Australia (doctoral thesis, awarded 2014)
- Exploring the effects of internet use on formal and informal political participation, with emphasis on the socioeconomic profile of participants and nonparticipants. The thesis draws on Verba, Schlozman and Brady's (1995) civic voluntarism model of participation. It hypothesises that emerging online resources (i.e. internet access and proficiency) are becoming more important predictors of participation than traditional resources (i.e. time, money and civic skills).
Publications
- Vorsina, M, Manning, M, Sheppard, J et al 2019, 'Social dominance orientation, fear of terrorism and support for counter-terrorism policies', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 99-113pp.
- Sheppard, J & Beauregard, K 2019, 'Early voting in Australia: the costs and benefits of convenience', Political Science, vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 117-134pp.
- Sheppard, J, Taflaga, M & Jiang, L 2019, 'Explaining high rates of political participation among Chinese migrants to Australia ', International Political Science Review, vol. Online. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192512119834623
- Sheppard, J 2018, '1996: Lazarus Rises', in Benjamin T Jones, Frank Bongiorno, John Uhr (ed.), Elections Matter: Ten Federal Elections that shaped Australia, Monash University Publishing, Victoria, pp. 161-189pp.
- Sheppard, J & Biddle, N 2017, 'Class, capital, and identity in Australian society', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 500-516.
- Sheppard, J 2015, 'Compulsory voting and political knowledge: Testing a 'compelled engagement' hypothesis', Electoral Studies, vol. 40, pp. 300-307.
- Sheppard, J 2015, 'Online petitions in Australia: Information, opportunity and gender', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 480-495.
- McAllister, I, Sheppard, J & Bean, C 2015, 'Valence and spatial explanations for voting in the 2013 Australian election', Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 330-346.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Political Engagement Among the Young: The 2016-19 Australian Election Study (Secondary Investigator)