Estudo exploratório sobre filiação e identificação partidária no Brasil

Abstract

We discuss two different traditions of studying party membership and party identification in political science. We then apply these concepts exploring the data of the ESEB 2014 (Election Survey for Brazil). First we describe the data on party membership and party identification, exploring different social cleavages in Brazil. Then we test to what extent party membership and party identification help explain political attitudes and behavior of citizen in Brazil. Three different types of party membership emerge from this analysis: members without emotional bond to any party; those identifying emotionally with their party (50%); and a third group holding membership but feeling closer to a different party. These results demand future research into the meaning of party membership in Brazil. Party identification in Brazil should not be overlooked. It is a concept that allows predicting party membership and different forms or political activism. It also moderately explains political participation in elections. We conclude that party membership and party identification, which have not earned much attention in the study of Brazilian politics, are useful concepts showing internal consistency and structuring political attitudes of citizen and help explain their behavior. Both phenomena deserve attention in future research.