In Italy, as in other Western countries, electoral abstention has registered a sharp increase in the last decades. The negative evolution has been related to several important changes in the internal characteristics and territorial diffusion of non-vote, as some scholars reported in their researches (Corbetta and Parisi 1994; Tuorto 2006). This paper deals with the topic of economy and economical crisis. A consolidated tradition of studies (Lewis-Beck e Stegmaier 2000, Anderson 2000) have discussed about the impact of negative economic cycle, unemployment and other issues related to the economy on the decision to (not to) vote, even if results remain controversial. Some scholars have sustained that, during a period of crisis, voters react positively, using voice to demand more attention to their claims (Schlozman and Verba 1979; Arceneaux 2003). A different position hypothesizes higher abstention as consequence of a negative conjuncture that keeps citizens distant from the electoral arena (Brody and Sniderman 1977; Rosenstone 1982; Tillman 2008). In the case of Italy, the exceptional configuration of the political framework, with the unexpected end of Berlusconi’s government and a period of transition under Mario Monti’s technical government, have made more difficult for Italian voters called to the ballot box in 2013 to elaborate accurate evaluations on how political parties compete, and use heuristics like «accountability of the incumbent» or «responsiveness» as decisional shortcuts. The paper explores the evolution of turnout focusing on the results of the 2013 election. Three are the directions we’re going to investigate: the relationship between turnout change and economical performance (at aggregate level); the socio-economic characteristics of the most disaffected groups; the impact of economical evaluations on the decision to vote. Data are taken from 2013 national surveys, which include a pre-electoral rolling-cross section campaign survey followed by a post-election face-to-face survey
