Anti‐LGBTIQ rhetoric and electoral outcomes under the shadow of war
Evidence from Poland's 2023 parliamentary election
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6257014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Phillip M Ayoub (0000-0002-3997-5185, Department of Political Science University College London UK), Douglas Page (0000-0003-4535-5916, Department of Political Science Gettysburg College USA), Sam Whitt (0000-0002-4856-5225, Department of Political Science High Point University USA), Samuel Whitt (High Point University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 2078-2092 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Political Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0304-4130 • E-ISSN: 1475-6765 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1475-6765.70014 |
| OpenAlex | W4409193567 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
The existing literature debates how war can precipitate shifts in electoral coalitions. However, what remains unclear are the underlying cultural contestations affected by war, including how homo‐ and transphobia have been weaponized politically as a key social division during wartime elections. We examined original survey data collected before the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, which resulted in the defeat of the anti‐LGBTIQ Law & Justice Party (PiS). In that election, competing coalitions led by the centre‐right‐liberal opposition Civic Platform (PO) and the incumbent right‐wing‐conservative PiS diverged over values like tolerance of LGBTIQ rights, all amid the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Our survey experiment found that informing voters about the PiS's anti‐LGBTIQ rhetoric failed to boost either PiS or PO support. However, the same information coupled with Putin's homo‐ and transphobic justifications for the Russo‐Ukrainian war shifted voter support significantly towards the PO. These findings make an important contribution by showing the limitations of anti‐LGBTIQ rhetoric as a once ‘tried‐and‐true’ electoral strategy and offering a strategy to counter the appeal of political homo/transphobia
Economics · General election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Shadow (psychology · Theology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Philosophy · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |