Attitudinal Ambivalence on Redistribution
Causes and Electoral Implications Across Europe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7727992 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alon Yakter (0000-0001-6971-2741, Tel Aviv University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1631-1662 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Comparative Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0010-4140 • E-ISSN: 1552-3829 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00104140231152759 |
| OpenAlex | W4316927148 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 87 |
While support for redistribution remains high across Europe, voting for left-wing parties, traditionally identified with this agenda, has been under par. Past research explains this puzzle by class-based disagreements about redistributive priorities and by second-dimension attitudes. These explanations, however, assume coherent voter preferences reacting to structural changes. By contrast, I argue that part of the puzzle also lies in attitudinal ambivalence—simultaneous negative and positive evaluations—regarding redistributive policy. Using cross-sectional public opinion and party position data, I find that such ambivalence increases with lower political sophistication, greater value conflict, and weaker economic need. Electorally, it deepens detachment between support for redistribution and left-wing self-identification and increases voting for more economically and culturally right-wing parties. These patterns hold independently of class differences and second-dimension attitudes and replicate stably in earlier data. The findings contribute to ongoing debates about attitude structures and voting patterns and illuminate an additional challenge for economically progressive parties
Ambivalence · Dimension (graph theory · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Public opinion · Redistribution (election · Sociology · Sophistication · Survey data collection · Voting · Voting behavior · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |