Decomposing the vote: Individual, communal, and cantonal sources of voting behavior in Switzerland

Abstract

This article considers individual, communal, and cantonal sources of voting behavior in the 2007 National Council elections in Switzerland. Using hierarchical linear models, it is shown how the vote propensity for the five main parties (CVP, FDP, Greens, SP, and SVP) varies across individuals, communes, and cantons. Key explanatory factors at each of these levels are explored, as well as cross-party differences in the effects of these factors. © (2010) Swiss Political Science Review.