Party position knowledge, ideological consistency, and the representation gap: evidence from the 2024 European elections

In theory, sophisticated voters should be better equipped to vote for parties which represent their preferences, thereby improving voter-party congruence. However, there is some debate about the size of this effect. In brief, I argue that studies which substitute sophistication for related items like education and self-reported political interest risk underestimating its effect on voting. Using the 2024 versions of the EES and CHES, I measure two aspects of sophistication overlooked in the voter-party congruence literature – namely, party position knowledge and ideological consistency. In short, both are substantially better predictors of voter-party congruence than either education or political interest. Likewise, knowledge and consistency are both positively associated with correct ideological voting, which is consistent with the theory that politically sophisticated voters are more likely to vote for parties that represent their preferences, thereby boosting the quality of representation overall.