Pocketbook or rosary? economic and identity: voting in 2000-2001 elections

Abstract

Ever since the birth of democracy, Polish electoral politics have been confusing observers, domestic as much as foreign. The majority tend to link the seemingly erratic behaviour of Polish voters with the vicissitudes of the transition away from the command economy to a free market/free enterprise environment. An alternative explanation links the popular support for major political actors with a broadly understood cultural identity, and having religiosity as the best predictor of an individual's attitudes and voting behaviour. This paper examines both interpretations in the context of nation-wide surveys of the 2000 presidential and 2001 parliamentary elections.