One in three changed party

Published:

The General Election Survey shows that one in three changed party from the parliamentary election in 2009 to the general election in 2013, which is about the same level as in the last election. The turnout increased from 76.4 per cent in 2009 to 78.2 per cent in 2013.

The increase in turnout was greatest among first-time voters, with six out of ten first-time voters going to the polls in 2009 and seven out of ten in 2013. The women voted to a higher degree than men in the election, with 80 per cent of women finding their way to the polls compared to 77 per cent of men. Voter participation is highest among those with university or college degrees, at about 90 per cent, while turnout among those with secondary education was 79 per cent, and 65 per cent among those with only an elementary education.

Figure 1

Figure 1. Percent of volatile voters

Larger additional sample provides more reliable figures

Statistics Norway and the Institute for Social Research is today publishing the first results of the extensive voter survey conducted in conjunction with the general election in 2013. The survey covers voters who were interviewed in both 2009 and 2013. A total of 1 982 voters were interviewed about the party elections. Turnout is checked against the official electoral roll and a relatively large additional sample was also drawn for this purpose. We therefore have a range of about 12 000 voters and can thus provide more reliable figures for voter turnout by age, gender and education than in previous elections.

 

Main report coming in the summer of 2015

In the summer of 2015, Statistics Norway and the Institute for Social Research will publish further analyses and descriptions of voting behaviour in relation to the election of 2013.

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