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Evaluations of the Spitzenkandidaten: The Role of Information and News Exposure in Citizens’ Preference Formation

Author

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  • Katjana Gattermann

    (Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Amsterdam Centre for Contemporary European Studies, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Claes De Vreese

    (Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Wouter van der Brug

    (Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections were characterised by a novel element in European Union (EU) politics. For the first time, the major European party families put forward top candidates for President of the European Commission, the so-called Spitzenkandidaten. This paper tests whether this innovation had the potential to—at least partially—alleviate the alleged accountability deficit. We rely on original survey data to assess citizens’ preferences for each of the main Spitzenkandidaten: Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz, and Guy Verhofstadt. Our research is guided by three questions: what explains whether citizens formulate a preference for a certain Spitzenkandidat? Which factors are responsible for variations in such preferences? And, are these explanations moderated by citizens’ political awareness? We show that three factors enable citizens to formulate a preference for the Spitzenkandidaten: news exposure, general EU political information, and campaign-specific information about the Spitzenkandidaten. Furthermore, we demonstrate that only the most knowledgeable citizens are able to use party cues in their evaluations of the Spitzenkandidaten. The implications of our findings are discussed with reference to the EU’s democratic deficit debate.

Suggested Citation

  • Katjana Gattermann & Claes De Vreese & Wouter van der Brug, 2016. "Evaluations of the Spitzenkandidaten: The Role of Information and News Exposure in Citizens’ Preference Formation," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(1), pages 37-54.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:4:y:2016:i:1:p:37-54
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    1. Sofia Vasilopoulou & Katjana Gattermann, 2021. "Does Politicization Matter for EU Representation? A Comparison of Four European Parliament Elections," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 661-678, May.
    2. Katjana Gattermann & Claes H De Vreese, 2017. "The role of candidate evaluations in the 2014 European Parliament elections: Towards the personalization of voting behaviour?," European Union Politics, , vol. 18(3), pages 447-468, September.
    3. Simon Richter & Sebastian Stier, 2022. "Learning about the unknown Spitzenkandidaten: The role of media exposure during the 2019 European Parliament elections," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(2), pages 309-329, June.
    4. Katjana Gattermann & Claes H. de Vreese, 2022. "Understanding leader evaluations in European Parliament elections," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(1), pages 141-160, March.
    5. Wouter van der Brug & Katjana Gattermann & Claes H. de Vreese, 2016. "Introduction: How Different Were the European Elections of 2014?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1-8.
    6. Daniela Braun & Constantin Schäfer, 2022. "Issues that mobilize Europe. The role of key policy issues for voter turnout in the 2019 European Parliament election," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(1), pages 120-140, March.
    7. Enrique Hernández & Roberto Pannico, 2020. "The impact of EU institutional advertising on public support for European integration," European Union Politics, , vol. 21(4), pages 569-589, December.

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