Conferences

Most Europeans prefer or identify with one position on the let-right scale, and these preferences or adscription feelings 1) constitute one more feature of their political identity; 2) contribute to construct their perception on political objects; 3) help to reduce the costs associated with acquisition of information about the different political proposals; 4) appear as the most widespread way of representing and articulating party competition; 5) and finally, mediate in the electoral choice anchoring the vote.

Analysing data from the first wave of the European Social Survey (2001-2002), this paper deals with the ability of European electors to locate themselves on the left-right scale. Are Europeans from some countries more capable of self-locating than others? In this case, what do these different levels of placement depend on?

I will proceed in three steps. Firstly, I will compare the level of non-location on the left-right scale across countries; non-location means here that the interviewed says he or she does not know where to place her or himself on the scale. Secondly, I will test three hypotheses, suggesting the existence of a negative relationship between, on the one hand, left-right scale and, on the other hand, longevity of democracy, “cognitive mobilization” and partisan ties. It will be shown that although “cognitive mobilization” is the most influential of these variables, partisan ties can also exert a relevant effect, compensating the lack of cognitive and motivational resources of some citizens. Finally, I will test the hypothesis that the level of ideological polarization in each country mediates the relationship between party loyalty and location on the ideological scale.