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psephology

{{Short description|Quantitative scientific analysis of elections and balloting (within political science)}}

{{original research|date=November 2010}}

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Psephology ({{IPAc-en|s|ᵻ|ˈ|f|ɒ|l|ə|dʒ|i}}; from Greek {{langx|el|ψῆφος|psephos|pebble|label=none}}) is the study of elections and voting.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2011 |title=The Encyclopedia of Political Science |publisher=CQ Press |last=Lansford |first=Tom |editor-last=Kurian |editor-first=George Thomas |volume=1-5 |pages=1377 |language=English |isbn=978-1-933116-44-0}} Psephology attempts to both forecast and explain election results.

The term is more common in Britain and in those English-speaking communities that rely heavily on the British standard of the language.{{Cn|date=May 2024}}

Psephology uses historical precinct voting data, public opinion polls, campaign finance information and similar statistical data. The term was coined in 1948 by W. F. R. Hardie (1902–1990) in the United Kingdom after R. B. McCallum, a friend of Hardie's, requested a word to describe the study of elections. Its first documented usage in writing appeared in 1952.[https://books.google.com/books?id=hhCfzoqaLK0C&dq=%22Psephology%22+Hardie&pg=PA250 "Chapter 15: British Psephology 1945–2001: Reflections on the Nuffield Election Histories"], David Butler, Still More Adventures With Britannia: Personalities, Politics and Culture in Britain. William Roger Louis (Ed.), Harry Ranson Humanities Research Centre, University of Texas, 2003

Etymology

The term draws from the Greek word for pebble as the ancient Greeks used pebbles to vote. (Similarly, the word "ballot" is derived from the medieval French word "ballotte", meaning a small ball.{{Cite web |last=Stephan |first=Annelisa |date=November 6, 2012 |title=Voting with the Ancient Greeks |url=https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/voting-with-the-ancient-greeks/ |publisher=The Iris}})

Applications

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}

Psephology is a division of political science that deals with the examination as well as the statistical analysis of elections and polls. People who practise psephology are called psephologists.

A few of the major tools that are used by a psephologist are historical precinct voting data, campaign finance information, and other related data. Public opinion polls also play an important role in psephology. Psephology also has various applications specifically in analysing the results of election returns for current indicators, as opposed to predictive purposes. For instance, the Gallagher Index measures the amount of proportional representation in an election.

Degrees in psephology are not offered (instead, a psephologist might have a degree in political science and/or statistics). Knowledge of demographics, statistical analysis and politics (especially electoral systems and voting behaviour) are prerequisites for becoming a psephologist.

Notable psephologists

{{main|List of psephologists}}

Notable psephologists include:

See also

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References

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External links

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  • [http://www.aceproject.org ACE Project] – Information resource for electoral design and administration. Includes comparative data on elections and electoral systems
  • [http://www.idea.int International IDEA] – International Organisation providing (amongst other things) statistical analysis of elections and electoral systems
  • [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/ 'Psephos'] Dr. Adam Carr's Elections Archive

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