È finito il voto di classe?

Is the Class Voting Over?

The denial of socio-economic variables as determinants of voting behaviour, the refutation and minimization of class voting, or its classification as a thing of the past, has become common in electoral sociology. This denial re-proposes the perennial contrast between idealism, subjectivism, individual freedom and structuralism, determinism, and materialism. It is a denial also dictated by academic affiliations, such as that opposing political scientists to sociologists, as it is a consequence of the political preferences of observers and scholars, which are also a reason for the rejection of the «classist» explanations of politics. On the contrary, this essay intends to argue once again the hypothesis according to which the interests associated with the social condition of voters, defined also with the contribution of politics, as well as their religious affiliation, still contribute to guide voting choices.

Keywords: Electoral Behavior; Social classes; Electoral Abstention; Democracy