A new University of Helsinki study demonstrates that values are associated with voting behaviour. The link is stronger regarding the chosen party's stance on social or cultural than on economic issues.
A new study by Professor Jan-Erik Lönnqvist and University Lecturer Ville-Juhani Ilmarinen has shown a link between universalist values, such as advocacy for justice, equality and the welfare of all humans and nature, and voting behaviour in the latest national elections.
Previous research has demonstrated that values are associated with political attitudes. While supporting this conclusion, the new study shows that values are also linked to actual behaviour, that is, voter choices at the ballot box, and this is true throughout Europe. The study is based on a survey of 20,000 people from 20 European countries, who were asked to assess their own values.
Traditionally, political parties have been positioned on a left-right spectrum, in which economic issues such as taxation and income distribution have been the decisive dividing line and determined voting decisions. A new way to distinguish between parties is the GAL-TAN dimension, in which GAL stands for green, alternative and libertarian, and TAN for traditional, authoritarian and nationalist. The key distinction in GAL-TAN is based on social and cultural issues, such as migration policy, multiculturalism, the rights of sexual minorities and environmental policy.
Lönnqvist and Ilmarinen's research shows that people's values are more closely linked to the position of the party they voted for on the GAL-TAN scale than to its position on the left-right scale.
"We looked at people's values and how they're connected to the chosen party's stance on social and cultural issues on the one hand and economic issues on the other," explains Lönnqvist.
The research results demonstrate that people's values, particularly regarding their party's take on social and cultural issues, could explain eight per cent of the variation, whereas the corresponding figure for economic issues was four per cent.
The research also showed that educational level determines the strength of the connection between values and voting behaviour. Among higher education graduates, values could explain 13% and 10% of the differences in their chosen party's position on the GAL-TAN and left-right scales, respectively; the figures for other respondents were 5% and 3%. In other words, values are more clearly linked to the voting behaviour of higher education graduates.
The link between values and voting for a populist party is minimal
Differences emerged between countries too. The relationship between people's values and actual voting behaviour was stronger in Western Europe than in post-communist countries.
The research yielded other surprising results as well.
"The link between a person's values and voting for a populist party was actually zero. Those voting for populist parties may do so on grounds other than personal values," says Lönnqvist.
He notes that the GAL-TAN scale has become increasingly important in European elections and points out that the new study can provide insight into the potentially increasing political polarisation.
"We may be able to build mutual understanding by appealing in political argumentation to the values that the other side considers important. For example, rather than making a universalist case for immigration by appealing to equality, or for climate action by emphasising the importance of nature, we can frame the former in terms of GDP, meaning performance and power; and the latter in terms of security, with the threat of natural disasters."
Lönnqvist thinks it is interesting that values affect voting.
"Although the connection between values and voting wasn't strong, I still think it can be considered good for a functioning democracy that what people value is linked to how they vote. This is all the more important as we know from before that people's voting decisions are also affected by both demographic factors, such as age, gender, class, ethnic background and religiosity, and more superficial factors, including the candidate's appearance, tone of voice and posture."
