Religion, Rurality and Voting: Secularisation, Landownership and Italian Electoral Behaviour, 1953–2008

Abstract

This article analyses the importance of socio-economic and religious factors in explaining the long-term electoral decay of the dominant party in Italy’s so-called First Republic – the Catholic DC – and the emergence of the regional autonomous Lega Nord (Northern League) from the DC’s remains. On the basis of a unique data set, this paper examines the effects of modernisation and secularisation of the DC electoral decline with particular reference to the change over time of the religious and rural constituencies, i.e. the two main DC reservoirs of votes; and the attraction of former DC voters to the Lega Nord, particularly in the old DC territorial bastion of support, characterised by high religiosity and concentration of farmers. The research demonstrates the relevance and persistence of structures profondes such as religion and rural property in electoral behaviour over a long span of time ranging from 1953 to 2008.