Explaining Workers' Support for Right-Wing Populist Parties in Western Europe: Evidence from Austria, Belgium, France, Norway, and Switzerland

Abstract

During the 1990s, the working class has become the core clientele of right-wing populist parties in Western Europe. This article empirically examines the motives of workers for supporting a rightwing populist party. Based on data from the European Social Survey for Austria, Belgium, France, Norway, and Switzerland, three different sets of explanations are tested: (1) hypotheses stressing economic determinants, that is, the fear of wage pressure and competition over welfare benefi ts; (2) hypotheses emphasizing cultural determinants, that is, the perception of immigration as a threat to national identity; and (3) hypotheses focusing on social alienation, that is, dissatisfaction with the way the country's democracy works and the nonintegration into intermediary networks (trade unions). We fi nd questions of community and identity to be clearly more important than economic grievances. Hence, in Austria and Switzerland, the electoral success of right-wing populist parties among workers seems primarily due to cultural protectionism: the defense of national identity against outsiders. In Belgium, France, and Norway, cultural protectionism is complemented by deep-seated discontent with the way the countries' democracies work.

Modelling the dynamics of support for a right-wing populist party: the case of UKIP

“…See, e.g., Betz, 1993;Swank and Eisinga, 1999;Hooghe, Marks and Wilson, 2004;Minkenberg and Perrineau, 2007;Mudde, 2007;Oesch, 2008;Mudde, 2007;Arzheimer, 2009;Goodwin, 2011;Ford and Goodwin, 2014. See also Clarke et al (1992: ch.…”

Quantitative discursive institutionalism: a comparison of labour market policy discourse across Western Europe

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“…Les analyses des attitudes des électeurs de ces mouvements confirment très largement ces faits. L'opposition à l'immigration, nourrie de la perception d'une menace culturelle et de la crainte d'une compétition économique immigrée, demeure sans l'ombre d'un doute l'enjeu déterminant du vote de droite radicale populiste (Ivarsflaten, 2008 ;Oesch, 2008 ;Lucassen et Lubbers, 2012 ;Akkerman et Zaslove, 2014).…”