Televoting Ties: Reciprocity Among Central and Eastern European Countries in the Context of the Eurovision Song Contest
Natalie Bauer
natalie.bauer@web.deIndependent Scholar (Belgium)
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8447-2743
Abstract
Traditionally, research on how and why people vote for acts in the Eurovision Song Contest covers aspects such as geographic proximity, the language of a song, or effects of prior exposure to acts, mostly without discriminating between the popular and the jury vote. To put televoting behaviour in a wider frame, this article investigates televoting patterns among Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2000, 2003–2008, and 2016–2025 through the anthropological lenses of potlatch, gift-giving, and reciprocity to determine whether patterns of mutual support can be interpreted as ritualized solidaristic exchanges. Drawing on quantitative analysis of popular voting data, three hypotheses were tested: If there are long-term “gift alliances” among countries, whether bilateral or generalized reciprocity prevails, or if reciprocity through televoting, regardless of performance quality, prevails. The findings suggest that long-term reciprocal voting relationships are statistically robust. Only a few significant bilateral correlations were observed; instead, a system of centralized reciprocity and selective pooling seems to be favored. Additionally, strong evidence indicates that CEECs often reward each other with high points even when the performance ranks lower overall, pointing to political and cultural biases.
Disclosure Statement
Keywords:
Eurovision Song Contest, symbolic exchange, Central and Eastern Europe, gratitude, reciprocityReferences
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Authors
Natalie Bauernatalie.bauer@web.de
Independent Scholar Belgium
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8447-2743
Natalie Bauer - She obtained a M.A. of European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives at KU Leuven, Belgium, during the research to this article. Her research focuses on visual communication, specifically stickers, and the democratic use of public space.
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