The Volebny Kompas Datasets on Slovak Voter and Party Positions

Abstract

Abstract Three decades after the fall of socialist regimes in Central Europe, the successes of democratic transition face threats from broader trends toward skepticism, disengagement and distrust across Europe, though perhaps more intensively in the East. This backdrop, especially evident in Slovakia, underscores the need for comprehensive data on voter and political party positions during elections, a key opportunity for democratic renewal. Our article introduces two datasets from the Volebný Kompas project: the first, is a collection of 134,699 voter responses on 39 key issues, obtained through the Volebný Kompas voting advisory application for the 2023 snap Slovak Parliamentary Elections. The second dataset details the positions of 11 political parties on the same issues. Together, they provide a comprehensive view of Slovakia’s political landscape before a pivotal election which resulted in a dramatic change in government composition. As freely available and validated resources, these datasets can serve as an essential tool for understanding and navigating the evolving landscape of post-socialist democracies.