1. ^aCNRS, CERAPS, University of Lille 2, 1 place Déliot, BP 629, 59024 Lille cedex, France
2. ^bLAEP, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Maison des Sciences Economiques, 106-112, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75647 Paris cedex 13, France. E-mail: Eric.Dubois@univ-paris1.fr
3. ^cESSEC Doctoral program, 1, Avenue Bernard Hirsch, BP 105, 95021 Cergy-Pontoise cedex, France
4. ^dMATISSE, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Maison des Sciences Economiques, 106-112, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75647 Paris cedex 13, France. E-mail: Christian.Benlakhdar@malix.univ-paris1.fr

Abstract

This article aims to test a proposition widely spread among scholars and journalists according to which holidays would have an impact on electoral turnout. To our knowledge, this possibility has not been investigated in the French case yet. Our data, gathered for the last three presidential elections, strongly support a negative effect of holidays on turnout. Since turnout and left vote are linked, this negative influence helps to explain the defeat of the main left-wing candidate in 2002 even though it does not represent the sole factor.