Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/288822 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Citation: 
[Journal:] Politische Vierteljahresschrift [ISSN:] 1862-2860 [Volume:] 61 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften [Place:] Wiesbaden [Year:] 2020 [Pages:] 261-283
Publisher: 
VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden
Abstract: 
In this article, we ask whether the presence of populist parties influences the negative effect of income inequality on voter turnout. A number of studies have shown that voter turnout is lower in unequal countries. In particular, citizens with fewer resources abstain at higher rates. Since populist parties seek to mobilize these groups, their success could lead to higher and less unequal turnout rates. To assess empirically whether this holds true, we analyzed a dataset encompassing data on 296 national parliamentary elections in 31 European countries between 1970 and 2016. The results show that there is neither a direct nor an indirect effect of populism on voter turnout. In elections with more successful populist parties, voter turnout was not significantly higher than in other elections. Higher vote shares of populist parties also do not mitigate the negative impact of income inequality on voter turnout. Finally, there does not seem to be a difference between elections with high left-wing or right-wing populist parties’ success. Neither variant of populism alters the relationship between inequality and turnout.
Subjects: 
Voter turnout
Populism
Inequality
Participation
Political sociology
Wahlbeteiligung
Populismus
Ungleichheit
Participation
Politische Soziologie
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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