“I Don’t Like It, but the Alternative Terrifies Me”. The Negative Vote and the Gender-Generation Intersection in Spain
Keywords:
Negative Vote, Electoral Behaviour, Political Parties, Gender, Youth, SpainAbstract
This study analyses the Negative Vote (NV) in Spain, a form of voting motivated by the rejection of a political option, similar to an ‘electoral firewall’ that is activated to contain what the voter perceives as a threat. Through the analysis of data from the Sociological Research Center (CIS), two variants are examined: partisan NV, aimed at preventing the victory of parties, and programmatic NV, linked to the rejection of specific political proposals. The results show that NV is a considerable voting dynamic, with a higher prevalence among women, young people, first-time voters and abstainers. Moreover, ideological orientation influences its expression, with the left leaning towards partisan NV and the centre-right towards programmatic NV. The data also indicate that the classical bipartisanship is the main beneficiary of the NV. Partisan favours the PSOE, especially among women, and programmatic favours the PP —among older men— and smaller parties and VOX —among younger men.
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