ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies parties previously considered to belong to the Christian Democratic party family. It discusses Christian Democratic ideology – a combination of social capitalism with cross-class appeal as well as internationalism and (toned down) moral traditionalism – and moves on to use Chapel Hill Expert Survey data to test whether the parties previously identified as Christian Democratic do indeed espouse this ideology and thus should be retained as members of the party family or not. Based on this exercise, the chapter suggests an updated classification of contemporary Christian Democratic parties. These parties’ electoral strengths and government participation patterns are described and discussed. Finally, the supporters of these parties are described and discussed in terms of their social background and their political attitudes.
