Migration Background and Voting Behavior in Switzerland: A Socio-Psychological Explanation

Research on electoral choices of citizens with migration background has remained largely descriptive. What is missing is a systematic test of theories that can explain individuals with migration background's voting behavior. This article provides such a test on the basis of a post-electoral survey from the 2011 Swiss general election. It is the first study on the electoral behavior of the first and second generation in Switzerland. And it shows that specific migration background impacts considerably on vote choice. In particular, individuals with migration background belonging to outgroups have a higher propensity to vote for the Left than natives. This relationship is partly explained by the party identifications adopted by the citizens with migration background belonging to outgroups.