stemmevaner

Stemmevaner is a term used in political science to describe patterns of how individuals vote across elections, including both turnout and party choice. It refers to habitual voting behavior as well as changes in voting over time, and is shaped by social background, political attitudes, and the institutional context in which elections take place.

Determinants of stemmevaner include socio-economic status (education, income), age, gender, ethnicity or immigrant background, and geographic location. Political socialization—family influence, education, and early political experiences—as well as party identification and core ideological position strongly affect long-term voting paths. Issue salience, evaluations of government performance, and retrospective assessments of past governments can influence vote choice in a given election. Institutional factors such as the electoral system, compulsory voting, ballot access, and party competition also shape both turnout and party decision.

Measurements of stemmevaner rely on surveys, including national election studies and exit polls, sometimes complemented by longitudinal panels to track changes in individuals over time. Researchers distinguish turnout from vote choice and analyze concepts such as retrospective voting (judging the last term) and issue voting (support based on policy positions).

Trends and variation exist across countries and time. Turnout tends to be higher among older and more educated voters; patterns of party loyalty can shift with realignment or polarization; immigration and integration dynamics can influence voting in multi-ethnic societies. Changes in media, campaigning, and mobilization strategies also affect stemmevaner.

Understanding stemmevaner helps explain election outcomes, policy support, and democratic legitimacy. Limitations include measurement error in self-reported voting, social desirability bias, and challenges in cross-country comparability due to differing survey methods and electoral rules.