Christian Religiosity and Voting for West European Radical Right Parties

Arzheimer, Kai; Carter, Elisabeth

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Christian religiosity and the support for radical right parties in Western Europe. Drawing on theories of electoral choice and on socio-psychological literature largely ignored by scholars of electoral behaviour, it suggests and tests a number of competing hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that while religiosity has few direct effects, and while religious people are neither more nor less hostile towards ethnic minorities and thereby neither more nor less prone to vote for a radical right party, they are not ‘available’ to these parties because they are still firmly attached to Christian Democratic or conservative parties. However, given increasing de-alignment, this ‘vaccine effect’ is likely to become weaker with time.

Citation

Arzheimer, K., & Carter, E. (2009). Christian Religiosity and Voting for West European Radical Right Parties. West European Politics, 32(5), 985-1011. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402380903065058

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Aug 12, 2009
• Publication Date: 2009-09
• Deposit Date: May 17, 2024
• Journal: West European Politics
• Print ISSN: 0140-2382
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9655
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 985-1011
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402380903065058
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/829191
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01402380903065058