Personal Values and Party Choice

Abstract

While we have extensive knowledge upon the effects from political values onto voting; the role of personal values is largely unappreciated. Using Schwartz basic personal value theory, this thesis aims to expand on our knowledge upon the relation between personal values and party choice. Specifically, to what degree Schwartz’s personal values can explain party choice; how personal values are prioritized among party family voters and whether these voters share the same prioritizations across cultural borders. We subject a sample of six countries, with data collected from the European Social Surveys from 2002 to 2014, to ANOVA analyses and Multinomial Logistical Regression. The findings show that personal values explains party choice best in more fragmented party systems, smaller more ideological strong party voters have clearer value prioritizations and collectively oriented personal values are better predictors for party choice than individually oriented.