Why do security forces vote for far-right parties? Evidence from Europe

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12926449
AutoresR Rego (0000-0002-7342-8695, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), Jeyhun Alizade (0009-0009-1643-1765, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, autor de correspondencia)
Año2026
Volumen18
Número3
Páginas1-11
Fecha de publicación2026-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Political Science Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1755-7739 • E-ISSN: 1755-7747
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1755773926100332
OpenAlexW7147420094
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas16

Concerns are rising over far-right support among security forces, given their role in upholding the state’s monopoly on violence. Such support raises fears that far-right ideologies could shape law enforcement practices and undermine democratic norms. Existing explanations often attribute this alignment to authoritarian and law-and-order preferences. Using data from the European Social Survey, this research note examines whether security forces are more likely than the general electorate to vote for far-right parties and identifies the attitudinal drivers of such support. The analysis finds no systematic evidence that security forces vote for far-right parties at higher rates than the broader population. Moreover, immigration attitudes—not law-and-order preferences—emerge as the strongest predictor of far-right voting across both groups. These findings challenge the common view that security forces are uniquely drawn to the far right for authoritarian reasons and underscore the central role of immigration politics in shaping far-right support more broadly

Authoritarianism · Enforcement · Ideology · Immigration · Monopoly · Politics · Security forces · Voting · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence