Sources and methodology
This page identifies the main data sources used by Pollitic.EU and describes how they are presented in the website.
Methodology
Poll tables are retrieved from the listed Wikipedia pages through the MediaWiki API and matched with parties maintained in the Pollitic.EU database. The application uses the source tables as a starting point for visualisations, trend summaries and seat simulations. Historical data and models may be incomplete or updated after publication by the original source.
Project scope
Pollitic.EU covers the 27 member states of the European Union. Country pages bring together parliamentary parties, their positions, poll results and, where supported by the model, seat allocation scenarios. The availability and age of data vary by country and source.
How to read the polls
The dates alongside a poll describe when interviews were conducted, not necessarily when the poll was published. The sample is shown when the source provides it. Pollsters and commissioning media are also displayed. The update service reads polling tables from the linked Wikipedia pages through the MediaWiki API and matches party labels to records in the Pollitic.EU database; entries may be corrected when source data or matching is found to be wrong.
Undecided respondents are excluded from the charts: results are rescaled to a 100% base so polls with different undecided shares are easier to compare. When a comparison exists, the faded bars represent an earlier poll by the same pollster. Differences in wording, fieldwork, sampling and undecided rates still limit direct comparisons.
Wikipedia polling sources
The links below are the Wikipedia pages currently configured in the update service for polling data. They may change over time as the relevant elections and source pages change.
Wikipedia content is made available by its contributors under the licences and terms shown by Wikimedia. Pollitic.EU identifies the source pages so that users can verify the underlying information.
- Poland en.wikipedia.org
- Austria en.wikipedia.org
- Czechia cs.wikipedia.org
- Sweden en.wikipedia.org
- Bulgaria en.wikipedia.org
- Croatia en.wikipedia.org
- Cyprus en.wikipedia.org
- Denmark en.wikipedia.org
- Estonia en.wikipedia.org
- Finland en.wikipedia.org
- France en.wikipedia.org
- Greece en.wikipedia.org
- Spain en.wikipedia.org
- Netherlands en.wikipedia.org
- Ireland en.wikipedia.org
- Lithuania en.wikipedia.org
- Luxembourg en.wikipedia.org
- Latvia lv.wikipedia.org
- Malta en.wikipedia.org
- Germany en.wikipedia.org
- Portugal en.wikipedia.org
- Romania en.wikipedia.org
- Slovakia en.wikipedia.org
- Slovenia en.wikipedia.org
- Hungary en.wikipedia.org
- Italy en.wikipedia.org
- Belgium fr.wikipedia.org
Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES)
Party ideological profiles are based on the 2024 Chapel Hill Expert Survey and the 2019 Chapel Hill Expert Survey data. Pollitic.EU transforms selected CHES indicators into the visual axes used in the application.
CHES expert ratings, often recorded on scales from 1 to 10, are combined into four dimensions and transformed for the seven positions shown on each chart: -3 to +3, with zero in the centre. The transformation rescales the source scores and spreads values that would otherwise cluster near the centre. These are Pollitic.EU's visual summaries, not raw CHES variables. For a coalition or composite party, the chart can show a range of its component parties' positions. The application uses the following CHES indicators for axis data:
- Economy: lrecon and spendvtax.
- Social and cultural views: environment, womens_rights, lgbtq_rights, samesex_marriage, religious_principles and ethnic_minorities.
- Civil liberties and law and order: civlib_laworder.
- European integration: eu_position.
2024 CHES: Rovny, Jan et al. (2025), The 2024 Chapel Hill Expert Survey on political party positioning in Europe: Twenty-five years of party positional data, Electoral Studies 97.
2019 CHES: use and citation follow the documentation published with the 2019 Chapel Hill Expert Survey and the CHES Trend File, 1999-2019.
Seat allocation scenarios
Seat simulations start from the support displayed above them. Depending on the country and selected settings, the model applies a divisor, quota or multi-stage allocation method, thresholds and constituency seat counts. Regional differences are estimated using results from a previous parliamentary election, including for countries with a nationwide electoral district so that alternative district-based methods can be explored. You can adjust the method, threshold and seat count, move parties on the diagram and combine parties into coalitions. A joint list can cross thresholds or change the seat result under some methods.
An overall party percentage is insufficient to reconstruct systems that use multiple rounds, candidate-level choices or a mixture of electoral rules. France, Ireland, Lithuania and Malta are marked as incompatible with a faithful seat simulation. Alternative methods remain available for exploration, but must not be read as an official projection for those countries. Different electoral systems and local results can produce different outcomes from the same national support.
Interpretation and limitations
Pollitic.EU is an independent, politically neutral informational project. Poll results, party classifications and seat simulations are not election forecasts or political recommendations. The project is not affiliated with any party, pollster, Wikimedia or CHES.
Models and source data may be incomplete or revised. Always consult the linked sources and their publication dates before drawing conclusions.
Corrections and contact
If you find a wrong poll, party match, source link or calculation, email us with the country, page address and a source documenting the issue. We review reports against the source and correct our data or presentation when warranted; the original Wikipedia page may require a separate correction by its contributors.