Thread by @kai_arzheimer

What does 'place' even mean for #farright politics, and how is it linked to populist radical right attitudes in #Germany & elsewhere? Glad that you asked, and super happy that @EPSRjournal has just published our (@theresa_be &me) answer (open access) cambridge.org/core/journals/…

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be Ever wondered how your environment influences your political attitudes? Our research delves into just that, focusing on the notion of ‘place’ and its impact on populist radical right (PRR) attitudes. Let's break this down! 🧵

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be We identify 4 distinct key aspects of ‘place’ that influence PRR attitudes. These are: place-related attitudes (like localism and resentment), living conditions, socio-demographic composition, and unique local history and culture.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be We also discuss how these aspects might interact & interrelate. For instance, localism & place resentment (the feeling that one's locality does not get sufficient resources and recognition) could reinforce each other.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be We use 3-level models & high-res geocoded survey data from #Germany, collected before the 2017 election, to assess these aspects. Why Germany? Its diverse political landscape and, er, chequered history make it an ideal place to study the impact of place on PRR attitudes.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be Our findings showed that there's a lot of variation in PRR attitudes across different places. Factors like socio-demographic composition and perceived resentment towards a place had significant impacts.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be Localism (pride in & attachment to one's local area) had weaker effects on PRR attitudes. This means that, even if you love where you live, it doesn't necessarily make you a right-winger.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be We also didn't find any significant interaction between localism and place resentment. In other words, love for your local area and feeling of resentment towards other places don't seem to influence each other much.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be However, location in the former #GDR (East Germany) still has a substantial impact on PRR sentiment. Other place-specific conditions (like deprivation, demographic decline, migration, rurality) had weak or no effects.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be Which is a pity, b/c the latter is stuff that could (at least in theory) be affected more easily by policy interventions. We conclude that PRR sentiment in ‘places that don’t matter’ results also, though by no means exclusively, from a lack of recognition.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be Our results speak to several of the debates in the literature, e.g. with @rahsaanmax's work, which shows that cosmopolitan immigration attitudes in large cities result chiefly from sorting

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be @rahsaanmax 2, the very strong effect of place resentment confirms the importance of this concept, originally developed for 🇺🇸 and then applied in 🇳🇱 by @SLdeLange, @EelcoHarteveld & friends, in a second 🇪🇺 country.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be @rahsaanmax @SLdeLange @EelcoHarteveld 3, the lack of interaction between place resentment & localism chimes with Jennifer Fitzgeralds claim that localism is a complex concept, whose components may pull voters into opposite directions

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be @rahsaanmax @SLdeLange @EelcoHarteveld 4, while we appreciate the attempts to find deeper explanations for PRR sentiment, this suggests that researchers should focus their efforts on more proximate causes, including the sources and consequences of place resentment.

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be @rahsaanmax @SLdeLange @EelcoHarteveld Finally, many thanks to the editors, reviewers, people who endured our moaning along the way, and last (by no means least), to @carlberning

@EPSRjournal @theresa_be @rahsaanmax @SLdeLange @EelcoHarteveld @carlberning P.s. this feels particularly good after this morning's desk reject