During the last year, the economic crisis, the fall of Berlusconi government and the birth of the technocratic government led by Monti have produced several changes in the Italian political system. Surely, one of the most important innovations in the Italian political context has been the emergence of the Five Star Movement. Such new party has achieved spectacular overnight success in several elections at sub-national level, and now it is one of the main political players in the electoral campaign for the national elections in 2013. Five Star Movements combines anti-establishment rhetoric with demands for political reform, transparency and new ways of ‘doing politics’. The proposed paper aims to analyze the electoral growth of the Five Star Movement using data from “Osservatorio Politico Cise (Centro Italiano di Studi Elettorali)”, ie cross-section and panel surveys conducted between November 2011 and March 2013. In particular, I investigate how the profile of voters and supporters of the Five Star Movement has changed over time, both from a political and a social standpoint. Finally, I analyze which factors influence the electoral choice for the Five Star Movement with respect to mainstream parties.
