ABSTRACT
Partisanship has played a central role in studies of public opinion and behaviour almost since the inception of survey-based research. Indeed, it has been often considered a major factor influencing support for political parties, the party system and the political order in which they are embedded. People who are strongly attached to a party are generally more supportive of the political system and more likely to think that parties are necessary for democratic governance than non-partisans (Holmberg 2003; Miller and Listhaug 1990). The strength of this relationship has been assumed to be of direct relevance to the health of, and prospects for, a democratic political system (Dennis 1975; Dalton 1996; 1999; Dalton and Weldon 2007; Holmberg 2003; Torcal et al. 2002; Miller and Shanks 1996; Miller and Listhaug 1990). Indeed, Russell Dalton (1999: 66) has expressed concern that the declining strength of partisanship across Western democracies signals not only a weakening of party but a progressive disengagement from democratic politics. In his view, attenuated party attachments might erode beliefs in the need for parties and lead to declining support for democratic governance (Holmberg 2003; Allen 2006; Dalton and Wattenberg 2002).
