Scelte di campo, discese in campo e cambi di casacca. La collocazione in politica tra appartenenza e scelta

Abstract

Political leaders often change sides. But what happens to the citizens? What are the movements that concern them? Definitely, they are really willing to change their coats, i.e. sides, perhaps following the leader? And to what extent? The case of the first Italian republic is sufficiently emblematic of a crystallization of positions and political choices. Observing, however, the second republic, many studies have highlighted a continuity in choices in relation to the sides (few are willing to decidedly change sides), while the choice between parties of the same group are decidedly more likely. Diamanti, summarizing these tendencies, spoke of the muro di Arcore, highlighting thus a sort of impenetrability between the two sides. Changes are welcome, but only between the parties of the same “field” of reference. Rarely between the two major alignments or poles. Is this interpretation still valid? The purpose of this study is exactly to attempt to understand it. In this contribution the attention is in fact focused on a specific case: the recent elections policies of 2022. Using data from the Itanes 2022 survey (Italian national election studies), I will try to argue how, even today, Italians change rather easily party but much less pole.