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In my childhood years growing up in Armenia, political parties would send their municipal representatives to our doorsteps before elections, asking about my parents’ voting intentions and jotting down notes in their journals. This traditional method of gathering data was still prevalent around 20 years ago, and it may still be practiced in many countries in this day and age.
In this digital age, public opinion research and data have increasingly become the lifeblood of political parties and campaigning, transforming the landscape of European politics. Across the continent, political parties and organisations consistently rely on data-driven strategies to understand voter behaviour, tailor messages and ads, and maximise their electoral success across the continent. The advancements in data analytics tools have provided parties with unprecedented insights into the preferences, concerns, and demographics of their target audiences. Social media and private companies are playing a big part in this ecosystem, albeit sometimes a negative one.
In an era where data-driven campaigning, what role does data truly play in the life of a political party, and can we bet our whole strategy on it?