NÄR PLIKT BLIR TILL MEDVETENHET En kvantitativ studie på sambandet mellan röstplikt och EU-medborgares politiska kunskap

Abstract

The low turnout in the European Parliament elections is often considered problematic as it reduces the democratic legitimacy. At the same time, the legitimacy seems to depend on the voters being informed about politics and its institutions. Previous studies have found evidence that mandatory voting not only increases turnout but also that voters who are obligated to vote are better informed. The results have been found in municipal elections and national elections, and theoretical models have also been used to determine how voters act under compulsory voting. As the European perspective is missing in existing research, the aim of the study is to analyze how the level of political knowledge differs between citizens depending on whether they are bound to vote or not. It also includes how the levels of knowledge differ if the implementation of the compulsory voting is active or symbolic. To conduct the analysis, data from the Eurobarometer 100.2 survey was used, including citizens from all EU member states. The results from the regression analysis, together with the previous research, show that citizens who are obligated to vote have a higher level of political knowledge. The study also reveals that active compulsory voting does not have a positive effect on political knowledge; the opposite is shown, and citizens with symbolic compulsory voting demonstrate a higher level of political knowledge.