The project “Ethnolinguistic identity as a political strategy among candidates and voters - Swedish speaking Finns in a comparative perspective” examines the voting behavior of Swedish Speaking Finns in comparison to similar linguistic minorities in Europe. The aim of the project is to identify and understand the conditions under which voter mobilization through ethnolinguistic identity becomes a feasible strategy in electoral politics.
The comparative design of the project allows us to compare ethnolinguistic groups similar to the Swedish-speaking Finns, but within dissimilar electoral contexts, as well as different ethnolinguistic contexts within similar electoral systems.
The project gathers data both through surveys and interviews in multiple linguistic contexts (Finland, Catalonia, Wales, Belgium, and Luxemburg).
The project is funded by the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) and situated at the Swedish School of Social Science at the University of Helsinki.