The 2012 French Election: How the Electorate Decided (Europe in Transition: The NYU European Studies Series)

This Edited Volume Is Based On A Highly Original Survey Carried Out Between November 2011 And June 2012 Among A Panel Of 6,000 Voters. The Panel Was Interviewed On 12 Separate Occasions About How And Why They Made Their Voting Choices. The Book Focuses On How Electoral Choices Are Made And How These Choices Evolve During The Short Time-span Of An Election Campaign. The Analysis Of The 2012 Electoral Result Shows More Than Ever That Voting Choices Are The Fruit Of Interweaving Timelines: The Long Term Period That Characterizes Voters’ Predispositions And Their Predictions Of A Possible Scenario; The Shorter Period Of Time During Which The Campaign Unfolds Where Those Predispositions Are Either Confirmed, Called Into Question, Or Undone; And The Moment When The Final Choice Is Made. This Is The First Time The Electoral Decision-making Process During A French Presidential Election Has Been Systematically Studied. -- Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Introduction / Pascal Perrineau -- Pt. I Perceptions Of The Campaign -- 2. Predetermined Issues In The 2012 Presidential Election / Gilles Finchelstein -- 3. The Candidates: Crystallized Images / Jean Chiche -- 4. Information Gathering And Campaign Following Among Voters: The Paradox Of Electoral Campaigns / Thierry Vedel -- Pt. Ii Voter Mobility And Mobilization -- 5. Electoral Turnout: Mobilization In All Its Diversity / Anne Muxel -- 6. Fluctuations On The Left / Henri Rey -- 7. Shifts In Voting Decisions On The Right: From A Centripetal Victory To A Centrifugal Defeat / Sylvie Strudel -- 8. Fluctuations Between The Left And The Right: Expressions Of Protest That Benefitted Francois Hollande / Anne Muxel -- 9. Fluctuations At The Center: A Short-lived And Fragile Breakthrough For Francois Bayrou / Pierre Brechon -- Pt. Iii Making A Voting Choice -- 10. The Moment Of Electoral Choice / Brice Teinturier -- 11. The Impact Of Issues On Electoral Choice / Dominque Reynie -- 12. Narrowing The Gap In The Second Round Or The `referenda' Of The May 6, 2012 / Jerome Jaffre -- Pt. Iv Expectations Of The Incoming President -- 13. Expectations Of The New President / Bruno Cautres -- 14. A Review Of The First Hundred Days: A `normal' Presidency At A Time Of Unprecedented Crisis / Jerome Fourquet -- 15. Conclusion / Pascal Perrineau. Pascal Perrineau, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 237-240) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-8 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 Predetermined Issues in the 2012 Presidential Election....Pages 11-24 The Candidates: Crystallized Images....Pages 25-45 Information Gathering and Campaign Following Among Voters: The Paradox of Electoral Campaigns....Pages 47-55 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Electoral Turnout: Mobilization in All Its Diversity....Pages 59-76 Fluctuations on the Left....Pages 77-91 Shifts in Voting Decisions on the Right: From a Centripetal Victory to a Centrifugal Defeat....Pages 93-111 Fluctuations between the Left and the Right: Expressions of Protest that Benefitted François Hollande....Pages 113-130 Fluctuations at the Center: A Short-Lived and Fragile Breakthrough for François Bayrou....Pages 131-146 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 The Moment of Electoral Choice....Pages 149-168 The Impact of Issues on Electoral Choice....Pages 169-187 Narrowing the Gap in the Second Round or the ‘Referenda’ of the May 6, 2012....Pages 189-206 Front Matter....Pages 207-207 Expectations of the New President....Pages 209-221 A Review of the First Hundred Days: A ‘Normal’ Presidency at a Time of Unprecedented Crisis....Pages 223-232 Conclusion....Pages 233-235 Back Matter....Pages 237-243