Variable
Definition
Data source
EP-Turnout
Turnout in elections to the European Parliament (%)
EU web site
Proportionality
Ratio of the sum of a member state’s EP-seats and EC-
votes to the sum of the total number of EP-seats and EC-
votes, divided by the ratio of the member state’s population
to the total EU-population (index)
EEC/EC/EU
Treaties;
Eurostat
(EU web site)
EU Presidency
Dummy variable coded 1 if the member state held the EU
presidency during the 12 months prior to the election, and
0 otherwise (0,1)
EU web site
EU Attitudes
Proportion of member state citizens who generally think
that their country’s EU-membership is a good thing (%)
Eurobarometer
Surveys
Previous
elections
Number of previously held European Parliament elections
(1 to 5)
EU web site
National
turnout
Turnout in most recent prior national parliamentary
elections (%)
IDEA
Mandatory
voting
Dummy variable coded 1 if voting is mandatory in the
member state, and 0 otherwise (0,1)
EU web site
Weekend
election
Dummy variable coded 1 if the EP-election is held on a
weekend in the member state, and 0 otherwise (0,1)
EU web site
PR system
Dummy variable coded 1 if the electoral system of the
member state is based on proportional representation, and
0 otherwise (0,1)
EU web site
Unitary state
Dummy variable coded 1 the member state is a unitary
state, and 0 otherwise (0,1)
literature
Unemployment Unemployment rate in the member state at the time of the
election (%)
OECD and ILO
Log of GDP
per capita
Log of GDP per capita in the member state at the end of
the year prior to the election (1995 constant US$)
World Bank
Election year
Set of dummy variables for the election years 1984, 1989,
1994, 1999, and 2004 (reference category: election year
1979)
EU web site
27
Convention