Comparing Across the 2017 Elections in Britain, France, and Germany

Abstract

Individually, the cases discussed here present a number of interesting findings regarding what does and does not influence the propensity of a voter to choose an extreme option. Generalizing these findings, however, requires a more holistic approach. Combining the results allows for a clearer understanding of which variables consistently influence anti-immigrant sentiments and/or the likelihood of voting for a right-wing party, facilitating a more generalized conclusion about what variables are and are not relevant on a larger scale. In doing so, a more universal theory of what affects anti-immigrant opinions and right-wing voting outside the countries examined here can begin to be developed. The research presented here demonstrates a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between feelings of threat and more generic anti-immigrant feelings driven by larger populist and/or nativist arguments. Economic or material concerns were only significant in one case and worked in the opposite direction as expected. When controlling for populism, nativism, and anti-immigrant sentiments, these material concerns do not independently raise one’s likelihood of voting for a right-wing party. Having more animus toward immigrants was the largest contributor to voting right wing; populist appeals are more limited, and nativist concerns are even less universal as a contributing factor.