The dynamics of issue salience and voting: did the refugee crisis affect turnout in European national elections?
Journal: London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science)
Year: 2019

The European refugee crisis caused an unprecedented rise in the salience of refugees and immigration policy across European countries, with the issue of refugees and immigration suddenly dominating all facets of political life. This paper investigates the effect of this phenomenon on political behaviour, particularly citizens’ decision to vote in national elections across Europe. It proposes that the refugee crisis raised the salience of immigration policy and made it a dominant policy issue in