Introduction

Abstract

Electoral research literature offers a wide array of studies that examine a number of factors that may influence individual voting behaviour. Among the classic, most studied factors are socio-structural variables. Following the well-known work of Lipset and Rokkan (1967b) the analysis of socio-structural variables was conceptually termed cleavage voting. As of today, many scholars have analysed the influence of factors linked to cleavages, such as religion or social class, on voting behaviour. In recent years, though, other approaches like issue ownership voting or rational-choice models have gained in popularity. Cleavage voting is often portrayed as a somewhat outdated approach that no longer fits modern electoral behaviour. In the context of religiously-motivated voting, Broughton and ten Napel (2000, 4) write that “if the topic of religion is mentioned at all, it is usually only in passing and largely to conclude that it doesn’t matter anymore, that religion has ‘declined’ in its impact on electoral choice.”.