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Interests and information in referendum voting: An analysis of Swiss voters
Author(s) -
Christin Thomas,
Hug Simon,
Sciarini Pascal
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6765.t01-1-00030
Subject(s) - referendum , heuristics , voting , empirical evidence , empirical research , political science , simple (philosophy) , economics , public economics , deliberation , positive economics , computer science , law , epistemology , politics , philosophy , operating system
. Referendums impose considerable informational demands on voters. Recent theoretical and empirical research has emphasized the different shortcuts and heuristics they may employ in deciding how to vote. Relying on a substantial series of votes at the national level in Switzerland, we provide empirical tests on how Swiss voters cope with the informational demands in referendum voting. We combine simple heuristics, like partisan cues and endorsements, with indicators of instrumental interests to explain citizens’ choices in a series of votes.