Refining vote choice in an ethno-regionalist context: Three-dimensional ideological voting in Catalonia and Quebec

Politics in regions or countries with a salient ethno-regionalist cleavage take on a unique dynamic. In addition to ideological positioning on economic and social stances, centre-periphery issues add a third ideological dimension that needs to be acknowledged. Yet, electoral research has rarely given appropriate attention to these three ideological dimensions independently. This paper takes up this challenge by presenting a three-dimensional ideological model of vote choice. The three dimensions are each theoretically portrayed as having a determining and independent influence on voting. Using survey data from the Making Electoral Democracy Work project, we explore determinants of vote choice in recent sub-national elections in Catalonia and Quebec. The results show that all three ideological dimensions are significant determinants of vote choice in both regions.