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Policy over Protest: Experimental Evidence on the Drivers of Support for Movement Parties

Mercea, D. ORCID: 0000-0003-3762-2404 & Santos, F. G. (2024). Policy over Protest: Experimental Evidence on the Drivers of Support for Movement Parties. Perspectives on Politics,

Abstract

Across the world, political parties are incorporating social movement strategies and frames. In this study, we pivot from the dominant focus on party characteristics to analyze drivers of support for movement parties in six European countries. We report results from a choice-based conjoint survey experiment showing that contrary to previous research, movement party voters favor neither candidates who are institutional outsiders nor those who actively partici-pate in protests. Candidate policy positions are the most important driver of the vote for movement parties. Movement party voters, additionally, prefer candidates who either display anti-elitist sentiments or who want to ensure the smooth running of the current political sys-tem. These insights invite renewed attention to movement parties as an electoral vehicle whose voters prioritize decisive policy change.

Publication Type: Article
Additional Information: This article has been published in a revised form in Perspectives on Politics: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution or re-use.
Publisher Keywords: movement parties, political participation, survey experiment, voting behavior
Subjects: J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Departments: School of Policy & Global Affairs
School of Policy & Global Affairs > Sociology & Criminology
SWORD Depositor:
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