The UK's electoral reform referendum of May 2011

The UK's second nationwide referendum, held in May 2011, offers rich opportunities for analysing the dynamics of a referendum campaign. The articles gathered together in this symposium address three themes. The first concerns the determinants and dynamics of public opinion during a referendum campaign, the second relates to the potential for interaction between the referendum and simultaneous elections, and the third focuses on coverage of the referendum in the media. Following a brief outline of the background to the referendum, this paper introduces the contribution that each article makes to these themes.

► We introduce the symposium and the articles within it.
► One theme concerns the determinants of public opinion during a referendum campaign.
► A second theme concerns the interaction of the referendum and simultaneous elections.
► The third theme concerns media coverage of the referendum campaign.