Voting in the Eurovision Song Contest

Bibliographic Data

ID7973530
AuthorsDaniel Stockemer (0000-0003-3502-6828), André Blais (0000-0003-4292-110X), Filip Kostelka (0000-0003-0591-5499), Chris Chhim
Year2018
Volume38
Issue4
Pages428-442
Publication date2018-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3268 • E-ISSN: 1467-9256
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0263395717737887
OpenAlexW2774255392
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited48

The Eurovision Song Contest is not only the largest song contest worldwide but also probably the world’s largest election for a non-political office. In this article, we are interested in the voting behaviour of Eurovision viewers. Do they vote sincerely, strategically according to rational choice assumptions (i.e. for the song they believe will be the likely winner) or for another song? Using data from a large-scale survey carried out in Europe, we find interesting voting patterns with regard to these questions. Roughly one-fourth of the survey participants would vote for either their preferred song or for the song they think will win. However, the percentage of strategic voters is lower (11%). In contrast, many individuals (i.e. 36% of participants) would vote for another song, one that is neither their preferred song, the likely winner, nor a rational choice. The reasoning behind these remaining votes may include neighbourhood voting, ethnic voting, and voting for one’s favourite European country

Advertising · Business · CONTEST · Political science · Politics · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Game Theory and Voting Systems · Law · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research

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