Public Perceptions of the Influence of Dominant Groups on Politics in Athens Greece

Abstract

This paper deals with the influence of dominant groups in Greek national politics. A list of 19 major groups in Greek society was compiled and a total of 712 residents of Athens were asked to evaluate the amount of influence exercised on the outcome of the 1974 general elections. The results of this study showed that, on the whole, political personalities were perceived to have greater influence than all other factors considered. The results also confirmed the idea that people ascribe a great deal of influence to groups they dislike. “Clientistic or patronage relations” seem to be the norm in Greek politics, the various dominant groups continue to enjoy special privileges within Greek society.