Voter support for illiberal candidates: Demonstrating the differential influence of authoritarianism's three facets on vote choice

Abstract

The success of illiberal candidates across the globe has spurred scholars to better understand why millions of voters support candidates and parties that engage in anti-democratic practices that erode the very foundation of their countries’ democratic systems. While much research has turned to the psychological disposition known as authoritarianism for answers, few have gone beyond the general concept’s single dimension. This leaves us with an incomplete answer. Authoritarianism consists of three facets (submission, conventionalism, and aggression) and it cannot be assumed that each of these facets has the same influence on voters across all candidates and political contexts. Indeed, through the implementation of surveys in six countries following their recent national elections, we demonstrate how our understanding of authoritarian voter support for illiberal candidates is dependent on scholars’ choice of a single or multidimensional measure. The single dimensional measure shows a placid story consistent with previous research, i.e., scoring high in the authoritarianism leads to support for right-wing candidates. The three-dimensional story is much different, with support varying substantially from one candidate and facet to the next.