Two-axis politics

Vincent Tiberj (1)

1 CEE - Centre d'études européennes et de politique comparée (Sciences Po, CNRS)

The social logics of voting are said to be on the decline; yet this decline is not a generally observable phenomenon. Some effects persist and others, such as birth cohort or education, have become more important, particularly in the 2007 vote in the presidential election. This article tries to explain both the changes in social logics of voting during the last four presidential elections in France, and what has not changed. By discussing and extending the theories of ‘old’ and’new’ politics, this article shows that evolutions are due not to a change in the values system, but to the politicization of cultural values by the mainstream French parties. This “two axis politics” has major consequences, and new social logics of voting have begun to establish themselves. Some social groups, such as workers or the professional classes are affected, whereas others such as atheists or the self-employed are not.

Keywords: voting; presidential election; politicization of cultural values by the mainstream French parties

Domains: Political science

Vincent Tiberj. Two-axis politics: Values, votes and sociological cleavages in France (1988-2007). Revue Française de Science Politique, 2013, 62 (1), pp.67 - 103. ⟨10.3917/rfsp.621.0071⟩. ⟨hal-03460908⟩