This article aims to replicate and supplement previous research concerning voting for the extreme right-wing party 'Vlaams Blok' in June 1999. We first discuss different theories concerning the motives for an extreme right-wing vote. Rational choice theories state that voters express their approval with the programme or ideology of such parties. They highlight different motives: a negative attitude towards foreigners, nationalism, authoritarianism and extreme right-wing ideology. The protest theory States that voting for such parties is solely motivated by the rejection of political parties and politics as such. On the basis of the ISPO-data, the background characteristics and attitudes of Vlaams Blok voters in 1999 are analysed, using multivariate methods. The results indicate that the Vlaams Blok vote is principally motivated by a negative attitude towards foreigners. This supports the rational choice theory. However, three secondary motives were discovered; political protest, nationalism and authoritarianism played a minor but additional role in explaining the choice for the Vlaams Blok in 1999.
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Billiet et al. (2001) studied this question.
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