Is there a "childless vote" in Europe?

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Demography

Background:

• Understanding the demographic factors influencing voting behavior is crucial for analyzing political dynamics.
• Previous research has explored various demographic correlates of voting, but the specific impact of childlessness remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between childlessness and voting patterns across European countries.
• To determine if childless individuals exhibit distinct electoral preferences compared to those with children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey, encompassing 20 European countries.
• Analyzed survey responses from 37,623 individuals, focusing on childlessness status and voting choices.

Main Results:

• A significant "childless vote" was identified, with childless individuals favoring parties on the Green-Alternative-Libertarian (GAL) side of the ideological spectrum.
• No significant association was found between childlessness and voting for parties based on economic left-right ideology or specific policy positions.
• Self-rated religiosity was independently associated with childlessness, but not ideological self-placement.

Conclusions:

• Childlessness emerges as a novel demographic predictor of vote choice in Europe.
• Findings contribute to the understanding of demographic processes shaping political behavior and electoral outcomes.
• The study highlights the Green-Alternative-Libertarian (GAL) vs. Traditional-Authoritarian-Nationalist (TAN) dimension as particularly relevant for understanding the childless vote.