Incentive

Normalization (sociology)

Argument (complex analysis)

Law and economics

Statistics

Microeconomics

Social psychology

Parliament

Radical right

Economics

Biochemistry

Regression discontinuity design

Psychology

Mathematics

Politics

Political science

Political economy

Sociology

Representation (politics)

Chemistry

Positive economics

Voting

Social science

Comparative Political Studies

How do stigmatized political preferences become normalized? I argue that the parliamentary representation of the radical right normalizes radical right support. Radical right politicians breach established social norms. Hence their supporters have an incentive to conceal that support. When the radical right enters parliament, however, its voters are likely to perceive that their views have been legitimized, becoming more likely to display their private preferences. I use three studies to test this argument. Study 1 employs a regression discontinuity comparing the underreport of voting for radical right parties (RRPs) above and below thresholds of parliamentary representation. Study 2 compares how much individuals report liking RRPs in post-electoral surveys depending on interview mode. Study 3 employs a difference-in-differences that looks into the underreport of UKIP vote before and after entering parliament. The results support the argument and highlight the role of political institutions in defining the acceptability of behaviors in society.

Parliamentary Representation and the Normalization of Radical Right Support