Which Values Distinguish Supporters of Radical Right Populist Parties From Their Rivals? Political Authoritarianism As a Key Ideological Feature

Studies have investigated many beliefs and values associated with voting for radical right populist (RRP) parties in Europe, but it remains unclear which values uniquely distinguish supporters of RRPs from supporters of other parties. This article analyzes the distribution of several values across the support bases of radical left, center-left, and center-right parties to assess how they compare to RRP parties, devoting particular attention to the role of political authoritarianism and anti-democratic views. Employing survey data from six western European countries ( n = 3554), the results suggest several values commonly thought to characterize radical right citizens, such as socially conservative beliefs, national pride, materialism, and social authoritarianism are not much more prevalent among RRP party supporters than supporters of moderate center-right parties. The findings instead point to the importance of political authoritarianism as a key feature distinguishing RRP supporters from supporters of other parties, along with anti-immigration and political grievances. Supporters of the radical left sharply diverge from supporters of RRP parties on nearly all issues, contradicting the notion that radicals on both sides of the spectrum share beliefs or worldviews.