Original scientific paper
DETERMINANTS OF IDEOLOGICAL SELFIDENTIFICATION OF CROATIAN VOTERS IN THE 2003 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Andrija Henjak
; Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Abstract
Using the results of the poll on the eve of the 2003 parliamentary
elections, the author analyzes the determinants of their ideological
cleavages. The analysis shows that the most significant determinants
are the attitudes concerning the role of tradition and the Catholic
Church in the society, the role of women in the society, the attitude
towards the minority groups and the attitude to the Croatian history,
primarily regarding World War Two and the post-war period.
Of all the attitudes-measuring variables the most significant ones
for the ideological left-right self-identification are those concerning
the role of the Church and tradition and the attitude towards the history.
The most important determinants of concrete ideological orientations
in Croatia are those variables that measure the attitudes to traditional
values and the role of the Church in the society, the attitude to
the minorities and the position of women and the attitude to the history.
While the attitudes to tradition and the role of the Catholic
Church, and to a somewhat smaller extent to the minorities and the
position of women in the society distinguish the liberals and socialdemocrats
from the Christian-democrats, the attitude to the history
distinguishes primarily the liberals from the social-democrats.
The analysis has also shown that the variables measuring the attitude
to the parties undoubtedly have the biggest influence on ideological
self-identification, whether this is the left-right self-identification,
or the identification with a concrete ideological orientation.
However, in interpreting these results one should bear in mind that
the causal link among these variables can be established both ways.
Nevertheless, regarding the level of political sophistication of the
public it might be said that the respondents will more easily identify
with a party than an ideology, which for most voters is an abstract
category. Party identification (preference) may be a consequence of a
variety of factors ranging from the early political socialization in the
family to the ideological affinity concerning certain issues or trust in
party leadership etc. Hence we can conclude that regarding their ideological
self-identification the respondents use their party identification
as an information shortcut in order to get their bearing in, for
most voters, the abstract world of ideologies.
Keywords
ideological self-identification; left-right self-identification; parliamentary elections; values; attitudes; attitude to history; party identification
Hrčak ID:
21053
URI
Publication date:
18.1.2006.
Visits: 2.876 *