Voters on the Move or on the Run?

Voters on the Move or on the Run? addresses electoral change, the reasons, and the consequences. By investigating heterogeneity of voting, and complexity of voting and its context the volume shows that increasing heterogeneity is not arbitrary and unstructured. Heterogeneity of voting rather is a way of voters dealing with the increasing complexity of the context of elections - diversified social structures, increasing differentiation of political supply, increasing complexity of the information environment. By analysing the conditions of heterogeneity and showing that the calculus of voting becomes more and more conditional in terms of what voters regard as relevant criteria for vote choice, the book demonstrates that the new feature of electoral behaviour is structured heterogeneity. The dimensions of differentiation of the electorate are cognitive capacity and the structure of individual information acquisition systems. The book demonstrates that voters are on the move looking for appropriate answers to new complexities rather than on the run. The book uses data predominantly from the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), and also comparative data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES). Cross-sectional analysis is complemented by long- and short-term dynamic analyses with panel data, and comparative analyses.

Bernhard Wessels, Senior Researcher and Deputy Director, research unit 'Democracy and Democratization', Wissenschaftszentrum,Hans Rattinger, Professor of Comparative Political Behavior, University of Mannheim,Sigrid Rossteutscher, Professor of Sociology, Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt,Rudiger Schmitt-Beck, Professor of Political Science, Mannheim University

Bernhard Wessels received his PhD from the Free University in Berlin. He is professor at Humboldt University Berlin, and senior researcher at the WZB Berlin Social Science Research Centre. Since the early 1990s he has been engaged in election research and has been the principle investigator of many comparative research projects, including the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and the European Election Study. He is co-principle investigator of the German Longitudinal Election Study.

Hans Rattinger received his PhD from the University of Freiburg. He held professorships and visiting professorships in Freiburg, Bamberg, Cambridge Mass., Toronto, and Georgetown Washington D.C. He was the principle investigator of numerous research projects on political culture, voting behaviour, and democratic participation. He is co-principle investigator of the German Longitudinal Election Study.


Sigrid Rossteutscher received her PhD from the European University Institute, Florence. She holds a chair in sociology at the Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt. She has worked on religion and political behaviour and was a principle investigator of comparative research projects on social capital. She is co-principle investigator of the German Longitudinal Election Study.


Rudiger Schmitt-Beck received his PhD from the University of Mannheim. He held professorships and visiting professorships in Duisburg, Zurich, and Auckland, and holds a chair in political sociology at the University of Mannheim. He is engaged in the Cross-National Election Project (CNEP), and was the principle investigator of numerous projects on political communication and voting behaviour. He is co-principle investigator of the German Longitudinal Election Study.