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The consequences of supply gaps in two‐dimensional policy spaces for voter turnout and political support: The case of economically left‐wing and culturally right‐wing citizens in Western Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2026

Sven Hillen  and
Nils D. Steiner Open the ORCID record for Nils D. Steiner [Opens in a new window]
Sven Hillen*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Johannes Gutenberg‐University Mainz, Germany
Nils D. Steiner
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Johannes Gutenberg‐University Mainz, Germany
*
Address for correspondence: Sven Hillen, Department of Political Science, Johannes Gutenberg‐University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany. Email: hillen@politik.uni-mainz.de
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Abstract

Parties with left‐wing positions on economic issues and right‐wing (i.e., authoritarian) positions on cultural issues have been historically largely absent from the supply side of the policy space of Western European democracies. Yet, many citizens hold such left‐authoritarian issue attitudes. This article addresses the hypotheses that left‐authoritarian citizens are less likely to vote, less satisfied with the democratic process and have lower levels of political trust when there is a left‐authoritarian supply gap. Using data for 14 Western European countries from the European Social Survey 2008 in the main analysis, it is shown that left‐authoritarians are less likely to vote and exhibit lower levels of satisfaction with democracy and political trust. A supplementary analysis of national election studies from Finland before and after the electoral breakthrough of the left‐authoritarian True Finns Party in 2011 indicates that whether left‐authoritarians participate less and believe less in the efficacy of voting is contingent on the presence of a strong left‐authoritarian party. This study illuminates how constrained party supply in a two‐dimensional policy space can affect voter turnout as well as political support, and has broader implications for the potential further rise of left‐authoritarian challenger parties.

Keywords

left‐authoritariansvoter turnoutpolitical supportpolicy spacesupply gap

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
European Journal of Political Research , Volume 59 , Issue 2 , May 2020 , pp. 331 - 353
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 European Consortium for Political Research

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