Citizen Perceptions of Party Policy Positions and Support for Challenger Parties

• In Event: Discontented Citizens and Political Parties

Abstract

Political parties provide choices for voters in elections by staking out different policy positions, but citizens vary greatly in terms of how they perceive party policy positions. The degree of ideological difference citizens perceive between parties is important for democratic politics. Citizens are more likely to desert mainstream, establishment parties when they perceive few ideological differences between them. In this paper, I investigate the relationship between the degree of party convergence or divergence perceived by respondents in national election studies and support for challenger parties. Respondents who identify or report voting for a non-establishment party often have policy concerns that are less likely to be addressed by mainstream parties, and are therefore more likely to view the policy positions of mainstream parties as being ideologically similar. At the same time, respondents who perceive less distance between establishment party positions should be more likely to vote for non-establishment parties. Drawing on individual-level data from four modules of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems for 15 Western democracies, I estimate a two-stage model that first predicts the degree of distance between establishment parties perceived by the respondent and then predicts the probability of voting for a non-establishment party. The findings suggest that support for a challenger party both influences and is influenced by the degree of perceived ideological distance between establishment parties. The implications for electoral politics in Western democracies are discussed.

Author

• Robin E. Best, Binghamton University (SUNY)