Why Did Voter Turnout in the Czech General Elections Change between 1996 and 2010

Bibliographic Data

ID10566601
AuthorsLukáš Linek (0000-0001-8671-2778, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume47
Issue1
Pages9-32
Publication date2011-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCzech Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0288 • E-ISSN: 2336-128X
PublisherInstitute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (PUBLISHER • CZ)
DOI10.13060/00380288.2011.47.1.02
OpenAlexW974886385
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited47

The aim of this study is to explain why turnout in Czech general elections exhibited considerable variation between 1996 and 2010. Using valence theory this article explores the differential turnout in terms of the expected benefits of voting for a party on the basis of valence and policy considerations. This individual-level analysis of electoral participation employs four post-election surveys and uses an alternative operationalisation of the expected benefits of voting, which makes it possible to conduct cross-national and cross-time comparisons. The results presented in the article demonstrate that change in voter turnout across general elections stems from the change in the expected benefits from voting aggregated at the level of the electorate. One key implication of this research is that attempts to facilitate increased electoral participation through institutional reform are unlikely to be successful. This is because turnout is primarily determined by voter motivation. Increased turnout depends critically on ensuring a level of party choice that gives voters an incentive to go the polls

Czech · Demographic economics · Economics · General election · Incentive · Microeconomics · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Turnout · Voter turnout · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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