STUDY UNEQUAL DEMOCRACIES WHO DOES (NOT) VOTE? Voter turnout trends in 30 European and North American democracies A translation of the German original»Wer geht(nicht) wählen?« by Jonas Wenker February 2024 This study analyses the results of the updated dataset“Unequal Democracies”, which now encompasses 212 elections in 30 democracies in Europe and North America. General trends are analysed with a focus on three countries – the United Kingdom, Portugal and Poland. Falling turnout remains unequally distributed across society. People with occupations that only require a lower level of formal education are disproportionately less likely to cast a vote. This effect of socially unequal voting is particularly pronounced among young voters. Populism turns out not to be a remedy for low electoral turnout: it is far from clear, in contrast to a common view, that(right-wing) populist parties provide a voice for non-voters in particular. Rather it appears that higher general turnout can be expected at elections characterised by more intense political polarisation. Overall, however, voter turnout has been falling constantly for the past few decades.