Can Euroskeptic Parties Drive Voters to the Polls? Re-Examining the Effect of Euroskepticism on Turnout in European Elections

Previous studies of voter turnout in European Parliament elections have analyzed whether attitudes towards Europe affect the likelihood of voting. Most studies show that Euro-supporters are more likely to cast a vote in EP elections. But the idea that Euro-skeptic voters do not participate stands in stark contrast with the empirical success of anti-European parties in the last European el ections. If Euro-skeptic voters do not participate, who voted for them? We argue that previous studies did not fully explore country-level heterogeneity. Our analysis shows that in a few countries – and most notably in the United Kingdom – voters do not behave as their counterparts in the rest of Europe. While in most countries Europhilic voters are more likely to turnout, in the UK and a few other countries, Euro-skepticism actually increases turnout. We explain this voter-level heterogeneity with features that are specific to the country or party system. Only in presence of a strong anti-European party, can Euro-skepticism mobilize and increase turnout (relative to Euro-supporters). These results have strong implications for the future of European integration.