Apstinencija na izborima za Hrvatski sabor 2003. godine: tko i zašto nije glasovao?
Abstention at Elections for Croatian Parliament in 2003: Who Didn't Vote and Why?

Summary/Abstract: The analysis conducted attempted to verify the assumption that persons who do not intend to vote at elections differ in their demographic and social characteristics as well as in certain indicators of interest for politics and political attitudes from those who are ready to vote. The data were gathered within a set of extensive opinion polls conducted on selected probability samples of the voting population of Croatia towards the end of 2002 and on the eve of the parliamentary elections in 2003. In the case of both groups of data the results of descriptive and discriminative analyses show that election abstainers cannot justifiably be observed as a homogenous group sharing similar characteristics and reasons for not turning out for elections, but as differing, specifically defined segments. In the analysed election situation, it is justified to speak of two main groups of abstainers: the first is characterised by a relatively low degree of general interest for politics and low level of expectations with regard to positive consequences of the elections (based on which it differed greatly from the possible voters of the currently ruling parties and oppositionally oriented voters), while the second is best described by unfavourable attitudes to the current ruling power and general social situation (according to which this group noticeably resembled potential voters of the then oppositional parties, and significantly differed from supporters of the currently ruling coalition).

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