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

Bibliographic Data

ID12926449
AuthorsR Rego (0000-0002-7342-8695, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), Jeyhun Alizade (0009-0009-1643-1765, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume18
Issue3
Pages1-11
Publication date2026-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Political Science Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1755-7739 • E-ISSN: 1755-7747
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1755773926100332
OpenAlexW7147420094
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited16

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