Who abstained and why? Voter turnout for the referendum on the treaty to establish a European Constitution

Summary:

A voter turnout rate of 42.3% was registered in the referendum on the European Constitution. Analysis of the available data leads to the following conclusions. First, territorial distribution patterns were very similar to those of the latest European elections; once again, abstention was greater in the periphery of the country than in the centre. Second, voter turnout revealed a clear sociological profile: abstention was greatest among women, people under 25 years of age, people with the lowest educational levels, the unemployed and housewives. Abstention can thus be interpreted more as a sign of indifference than of rejection. Third, turnout was highest among voters sympathetic to leftist ideology, those who think the government is doing a good job and those who trust Prime Minister Rodríguez Zapatero. Fourth, an unusually high number of blank and spoiled ballots were cast. For lack of more precise post-electoral studies, abstention can be explained as a result of: the fact that the public knew very little about the very complex issues being voted on; the predictability of the result; the attitudes of political parties; and the conflicting pressures and contradictory messages that voters received.