La scelta degli indecisi

A few weeks before the 2006 Italian General election, a significant proportion of voters declared they were still undecided about whom to vote for. Using ITANES 2006 panel and rolling cross-section survey data, this chapter analyzes the specific characteristics of late deciders’ decision-making processes. A systematic comparison between this group of voters and those who had already made their voting decision first highlights clear differences in the relative roles of a number of important explanatory factors (party and coalition attachments, ideological and value orientations, leader perceptions, specific stances on policy issues). Secondly, it finds wide heterogeneity in voters’ decision-making processes, and confirms the influence of respondents’ levels of political interest and knowledge both on availability of voting heuristics and the degree of political indecision.