Tekijät

• Sipinen, Josefina (University of Helsinki)
• von Schoultz, Åsa (University of Helsinki)
• Himmelroos, Staffan (University of Helsinki)
• Lesinska, Magdalena (University of Warsaw)
• Lisi, Marco (NOVA University Lisbon)
• Reidy, Theresa (University College Cork)
• Vintila, Daniela (University of Liège)

Asiasanat

civil and political rights, expatriates, parliamentary elections, political action, political attitudes, political behaviour, political participation, politics, suffrage, voting, voting behaviour

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey explored views on the electoral rights of non-resident citizens. The survey was conducted among citizens living in Finland, Poland, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal, as well as citizens living outside these countries. The data was collected as part of the MOBILEU project, which aimed to compare views on voting rights in parliamentary elections. The project was carried out jointly by the University of Helsinki, University College Cork and the University of Liège, and led by Professor of Political Science Åsa von Schoultz of the University of Helsinki. The University of Helsinki was responsible for for collecting and storing the survey data.

First, the questionnaire asked respondents about their views on the political rights of non-resident citizens of their own country, asking them whether the duration of their time abroad should affect their right to vote in parliamentary elections. Respondents were also asked about their views on the significance of the voting method and where to vote, as well as their opinion on the possibility for dual nationals to vote. Respondents were then asked to place themselves on both the left-right political spectrum and the conservative-liberal value axis. Respondents were also asked about their general trust in people and level of interest in politics. In addition, respondents were asked how satisfied they are with the functioning of the political system in their country. Further questions asked about the respondents' activity in following politics and their confidence in their ability to participate in politics. Respondents were also asked to what extent they trust politicians or the government in their country or the country where they currently live, for example.

Next, respondents were asked whether they voted in the previous parliamentary elections in the country surveyed. Those who did not vote were asked the main reasons for this decision. Non-residents were also asked whether they had voted in any elections in their current country of residence in the last ten years. At the end of the questionnaire, non-residents were asked about their history of residence, the main reasons for moving to their current country of residence and how they had settled. Finally, respondents were asked how often they visit their previous country of residence (the country of the survey) and whether they intend to move back at some point.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, country of residence, level of education, mother tongue, own and parents' country of birth, and residency status. For citizens living abroad permanently, the data also included background information on residential history.