In line with the party's manifesto? Differences in political beliefs between young voters of Polish political parties and alliances before the 2023 parliamentary elections

Abstract

Voting for a party identified by researchers as right-wing or left-wing does not necessarily indicate that voters share the core ideological beliefs or statements included in the party’s agenda. This paper examines differences in political beliefs among young voters of various political parties in Poland prior to the 2023 parliamentary elections. The responses of 891 individuals were analysed. Participants were young adults aged 18-25 who declared Polish nationality. The Political Beliefs Questionnaire was used to measure political beliefs in cultural and economic dimensions. The results of the study appear to confirm previous findings by researchers, indicating that the left-right divide in Poland and the decision to vote for a particular political party are more closely determined by political beliefs in the cultural dimension than by those in the economic dimension.