An important element of any democracy is that government action responds to the preferences of its citizens. However, we have only a very limited knowledge about the mechanism how politicians respond to the political opinion of citizens. In co-operation with the EU-funded POLEVPOP project (PI: Prof Stefaan Walgrave, University of Antwerp) we will investigate how politicians evaluate public opinion, letting their actions depend on their appraisal. Drawing on a comparative study in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Israel, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany we will particularly how politicians react to the image citizens have concerning an ideal politician.
