Outcomes of legislative elections are typically reported in terms of party support: how many votes and seats were obtained by each party? But in fact voters are faced with three choices which must be folded into one. They must decide which party they prefer, but in so doing they must take account of the policies advocated by these parties and the leaders who will eventually have to enact them. This simple fact raises question about the relative weight of these considerations, and especially the importance granted to the leaders. This issue has been largely neglected in the vast literature on v ... More

Outcomes of legislative elections are typically reported in terms of party support: how many votes and seats were obtained by each party? But in fact voters are faced with three choices which must be folded into one. They must decide which party they prefer, but in so doing they must take account of the policies advocated by these parties and the leaders who will eventually have to enact them. This simple fact raises question about the relative weight of these considerations, and especially the importance granted to the leaders. This issue has been largely neglected in the vast literature on voting behaviour. The dominant traditions in the study of voting behaviour focus on political parties and party identification; and on political issues and ideology, respectively. This book uses election surveys over the past fifty years to assess systematically the impact of political leaders on voting decisions in nine democracies (Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United States). It analyses issues such as the changes in political communication (particularly the rise of televised politics), and the relative importance accorded to political leaders in different types of political systems. It demonstrates how electoral systems and other political institutions have a discernible effect on the importance that voters accord to actual political leaders. Contrary to popular wisdom, this book shows how unimportant the characteristics of political leaders, parties, and indeed the voters themselves actually are on voting patterns. In fact, the volume shows, voters tend to let themselves be guided by the leaders they like rather than being pushed away from those they dislike.