Local Election Survey 2015

The "Local Election Survey 2015" was intended to contribute to increased knowledge regarding the local election in in 2015 in particular, and local democracy's manner of operation and legitimacy in general. This is a continuation of similar surveys conducted for every election since 1995. Previously, these surveys consisted of a telephone interview and a subsequent postal part. In this survey, only a telephone interview was carried out. The project carried out a voter survey, which, together with previous surveys, can map development trends over time. More specifically, the following topics were studied: Voting, electoral participation, local party systems, the municipality as a political arena, 'outcome democracy', the role of the political parties in local politics, municipal reform, elderly participation and representation in local politics, election campaign and media, and measures for increased electoral participation.

The sample was divided into quotas according to 6 strata, which made municipalities with small populations overrepresented compared to municipalities with larger populations. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to use weights when analyzing the material, if you want to say anything about the country as a whole.

The survey was conducted by the Institute for Social Research, the University of Oslo and Uni Research Rokkan Centre in Bergen. These institutes worked in turn on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. The Institute for Social Research held the project manager responsibility, and contact person and project manager at ISF was Jo Saglie.