Party cues and pre-campaign attitudes: voting choice in referendums in Eastern Europe

Gherghina, S. and Silagadze, N. (2021) Party cues and pre-campaign attitudes: voting choice in referendums in Eastern Europe. Problems of Post-Communism, (doi: 10.1080/10758216.2021.1963780) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Political parties provide cues that influence how people vote in referendums. We know little about how this works against the attitudes held by voters before campaigns. This article analyzes under what circumstances voters in referendums consider their choice to be the result of party cues or of their opinions prior to a campaign. It focuses on seven referendums organized in Eastern Europe between 2015 and 2019. The results show that party cues may shape voting behavior when political parties are trusted, cues are clear, and citizens are media users. Political activity, information and interest in politics make pre-campaign attitudes important.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gherghina, Dr Sergiu
• Authors: Gherghina, S., and Silagadze, N.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Problems of Post-Communism
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1075-8216
• ISSN (Online): 1557-783X
• Published Online: 27 August 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Problems of Post-Communism 2021
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License