Participation of Young Poles in the Parliamentary Elections of 2023 – Determinants of Electoral Activity

Abstract

Author presents an analysis of the electoral participation of young Poles in the context of the 2023 parliamentary elections. The sources of knowledge in the article are data from the author’s research project, which was carried out thanks to the funding obtained from a research grant of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Poland. The survey results analysis, supplemented by a literature search and analysis of secondary data, constitutes the article’s essence. The survey was conducted on March 13–30, 2023, using CATI computer-assisted telephone interviews. It was measured on a nationwide sample of 1,200 people aged 18–30, allowing conclusions about the general population that was surveyed. The sample was representative of such variables as gender, age, province, and size of residence. The research project provided relevant data to answer the highlighted research question on the factors that influenced the participation of young Poles in the 2023 parliamentary elections. In the course of the analysis, the hypotheses related to the theoretical approaches within the behavioral approach and new institutionalism were verified. Quantitative methods appropriate to the neopositivist paradigm were used to verify the hypotheses. The conclusions of the analysis have important implications for understanding changes in Poland’s political landscape, taking into account the role of the young electorate in this process.