Socio-economic and socio-cultural foundations of voter support for far-left and far-right parties

Support for far-left and far-right political parties has been on the rise across advanced democracies in recent years. This political polarization originates from a series of crises facing countries that have led to considerable social and economic instability. While several studies identify commonalities in the voting bases of radical parties, this article analyzes differences in the demand-side preferences of far-left and far-right voters. Although radical party voters share a distrust and dissatisfaction with mainstream political institutions, the motivations underpinning voter support for far-left and far-right parties are markedly dissimilar. Analysis of data from eight successive European Social Survey rounds (2002–2016) across fifteen countries, demonstrates that while far-left voters are more attentive to socio-economic issues, centered around redistributive and egalitarian concerns, far-right voters are more focused on socio-cultural issues, related to national identity, culture, and immigration. Understanding which issues motivate support for far-left and far-right parties is important as shifts in public opinion over the perceived significance of key issues are likely to have different effects on the political fortunes of radical parties.