Do voters polarize when radical parties enter parliament?

Author(s)
Daniel Bischof, Markus Wagner
Abstract

Do voters polarize ideologically when radical views gain political legitimacy, or does the rise of radical voices merely reflect societal conflict? We argue that elite polarization as signaled by radical parties' first entrance into parliament leads to voter divergence. Immediately after the election, legitimization and backlash effects mean that voters on both ideological sides move toward the extremes. In the longer term, this polarization is solidified because of radical parties' parliamentary presence. A panel study of Dutch voters shows that the 2002 parliamentary entrance of a radical-right party indeed led to immediate ideological polarization across the political spectrum. Estimating time-series cross-sectional models on Eurobarometer data from 17 countries (1973–2016) shows an additional long-term impact of radical-right party entry on polarization. The presence of radical voices on the right has polarizing effects, illustrating how such institutional recognition and legitimization can have a far-reaching impact on society.

Organisation(s)
Department of Government
External organisation(s)
Universität Zürich (UZH)
Journal
American Journal of Political Science
Volume
63
Pages
888-904
No. of pages
17
ISSN
0092-5853
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12449
Publication date
07-2019
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
506014 Comparative politics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Political Science and International Relations, Sociology and Political Science
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/do-voters-polarize-when-radical-parties-enter-parliament(211114fa-5bd7-4475-8876-c75348bc374a).html