What is "valence issue"

n. (context politics English) Issues on which most voters and candidates share the same opinion.

A valence issue is a political issue about which voters will usually share a common preference.

Prosperity is a common valence issue. All voters will want their community to prosper and so the consideration is not whether to seek prosperity or not but instead the issue is which party is most likely to deliver it. Further examples include the desire for high economic growth, low inflation, low unemployment, a strong national defense, high quality education and healthcare, sufficient housing and adequate transport infrastructure.

Valence issues may be contrasted with position issues — divisive issues for which there are different preferences. In a study of campaigns for the US Senate, candidates focused upon valence issues in 77% of their advertising. The issues identified as positional or valence were: