Turnout in European parliament elections 1979–2019

Bibliographic Data

ID7989440
AuthorsMadeleine O Hosli (0000-0001-9569-1841, Leiden University, corresponding author), Jaroslaw Kantorowicz (0000-0002-1186-5427, Leiden University), Marijn Nagtzaam (0000-0002-9504-9880, Leiden University), Marijn A M Nagtzaam (Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands), Martijn I Haas (Leiden University)
Year2022
Volume25
Issue1
Pages1-23
Publication date2022-10-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Politics and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2374-5126 • E-ISSN: 2374-5118
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/23745118.2022.2137918
OpenAlexW4307563956
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited49

The European Parliament (EP) has seen a gradual increase in its powers since the introduction of direct elections in 1979. Scholars have focused on both individual-level and aggregate factors to explain turnout rates in EP elections over time, including increased levels of EU politicization and the rise in support for Eurosceptic parties. However, one strand of analysis seems to partially have been overlooked: Some earlier research on EP election turnout claimed that absolute turnout rates across the EU should be used with care, as a number of ‘structural factors’ influences these shares and with this, affects estimates of actual voter turnout. Are such structural variables still relevant in a time where European politics are becoming increasingly salient among the wider public, pro- and anti-EU sentiments may increase citizens’ inclination to vote and trust in EU institutions may be getting increasingly important? Based on various estimates, we find that structural factors can still be characterized as determinants in EP elections, but that the power of structural factors to explain turnout at the EU level, compared to non-structural factors, has decreased. Nonetheless, EU-wide (average) EP turnout rates, as widely reported, are not likely to be good reflections of actual trends in EP turnout over time

Demographic economics · Economics · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Salient · Turnout · Voter turnout · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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