What the study found
The study found that Swiss parties are more likely to take part in referendum campaigns when a referendum gets public attention and when the issue matters to the party. Party initiator status also appears to matter, but less strongly.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that their findings help explain how referendums and party strategy interact in contemporary political settings. They also suggest that instrumentalization perspectives can be extended to include parties that did not initiate the referendum.
What the researchers tested
The researchers developed a framework with five possible strategic factors for explaining why parties join referendum campaigns. They applied it to 33 recent Swiss referendums and used social media and newspaper advertisements as proxies for party participation. They then tested the hypotheses with binomial logistic regression.
What worked and what didn't
Public attention for a referendum, issue salience to a party, and, to a lesser extent, party initiator status were associated with a higher likelihood of campaign participation. The abstract does not report support for the other two proposed strategic factors.
What to keep in mind
The study uses social media and newspaper advertisements as a proxy for party participation, so it does not directly observe all forms of campaign involvement. Its evidence comes from 33 recent Swiss referendums, so the scope is limited to that setting. The abstract does not describe additional limitations.
Key points
- Swiss parties are more likely to join referendum campaigns when public attention is high.
- Issue salience to a party is a significant factor in campaign participation.
- Party initiator status matters, but less than attention and issue salience.
- The study uses social media and newspaper advertisements as proxies for participation.
- The analysis covers 33 recent Swiss referendums.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Swiss parties’ referendum participation is linked to attention and issue salience
- Authors:
- Toine Paulissen
- Institutions:
- KU Leuven
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-26
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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