How Issue Salience Explains the Decline of Social Democrats in Europe

• In Event: Measuring, Assessing and Evaluating Changes in European Party Politics

Abstract

This article tests whether variation in issue salience can explain the decline of the social democrats in recent years in Europe. By taking a novel cross-country and cross-time approach at both the aggregate- and individual-levels using panel data, I robustly demonstrate that the salience of the issue of social issues (housing, education, health) positively affects electoral support for social democrats, whereas immigration and unemployment negatively affect their support. I repeat this finding at the individual-level using panel data.

Author

• James Dennison, European University Institute