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| French Election Study | |
|---|---|
| Name | French Election Study |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Country | France |
| Established | 1950s |
| Frequency | Periodic survey waves |
| Languages | French |
French Election Study The French Election Study is a long-running survey project designed to measure electoral behavior, public opinion, party competition, and voting patterns in France across multiple national elections. It integrates survey research, panel data, and contextual variables to inform scholarship in comparative politics, electoral studies, and political sociology. Major contributors have included researchers affiliated with institutions such as the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Sciences Po, and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales.
Originating in the postwar era, the study aligns chronologically with major events including the Fourth Republic, the establishment of the Fifth Republic, and successive presidential and legislative contests such as the 1965 French presidential election, the 1981 French presidential election, the 2002 French presidential election, and the 2017 French presidential election. Early methodological predecessors include mass surveys inspired by projects like the American National Election Studies and the British Election Study, while institutional support has come from organizations like the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and university laboratories associated with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Scholarly figures connected to the study have intersected with work by researchers who participated in projects overseen at the European Consortium for Political Research and presented at the International Political Science Association.
The project employs mixed-mode survey designs—face-to-face interviews, telephone surveys, and online panels—cohering with standards set by bodies such as the European Social Survey and the World Values Survey. Sampling strategies reference techniques used in the Institut français d'opinion publique and adhere to ethical norms promoted by the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL). Question modules commonly cover party identification tied to groups like La République En Marche!, Parti Socialiste, Les Républicains, Rassemblement National, and legislative behavior relevant to institutions such as the Assemblée nationale and the Sénat. Pre-election and post-election waves capture vote choice, turnout, and retrospective evaluations similar to instruments used in datasets from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and the European Election Studies.
Analyses from the study have addressed realignments reflected in the decline of traditional parties Union for French Democracy and Parti Communiste Français and the rise of new actors like La France Insoumise and MoDem. Work has illuminated cleavage structures rooted in regions such as Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, generational shifts observable against cohorts defined by events like the May 1968 events in France, and the impact of crises such as the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic on electoral volatility. Scholars have used the data to test theories developed by figures associated with the Chicago School and the Columbia School in studies juxtaposing media effects from outlets like Le Monde and Le Figaro and elites from administrations such as those of presidents François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande, and Emmanuel Macron.
Findings have informed academic debates at venues such as the Collège de France and policy discussions within ministries including the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice. The study's evidence has been cited in reforms concerning electoral law debates around the Two-round system and discussions of representation in bodies including the Conseil constitutionnel. It has also shaped curricula at institutions like Sciences Po and driven methodological training in doctoral programs linked to the European University Institute, influencing grant-funded consortia supported by entities like the Agence nationale de la recherche.
The project participates in cross-national research with partners such as the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, the European Election Studies, and collaborations involving the Max Planck Society and the London School of Economics. Comparative work situates French patterns alongside cases like United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden to test hypotheses about party system change, populism, and polarization explored in forums such as the American Political Science Association and the European Political Science Association.
Datasets are archived in national repositories analogous to the UK Data Archive and distributed through platforms modeled on the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research and the HAL (open archive), with metadata standards complying with practices promoted by the Council of European Social Science Data Archives. Reproducible research practices encourage publication of code and replication files consistent with guidelines from the American Journal of Political Science and the European Political Science Review. Archival materials are also held at university centers such as Université Lyon 2 and research units affiliated with the CNRS.
Category:Political science Category:Surveys