The current political situation in Catalonia has deserved the attention of national and international analysts, especially about the independence issue and the re-configuration of the Catalan party system in what seems to be a more polarized context. In this chapter we want to address how has evolved the specific impact of linguistic voting in Catalonia and its relation with values and preferences. Our main argument is that both “bottom up” and “top down” dynamics are complementary and interactive explanations in ethno-linguistic voting in Catalonia.

Using data for regional elections in Catalonia from the CIS, our findings are that the increasing effect of language on ethno regional voting in Catalonia is mainly driven by top-down dynamics. Despite language over time does not show a clear pattern as predictor of voting behavior, we offer preliminary evidence that points out how parties have been able to shape the linkage between language and identities and polarize the political context, especially in 2012 election