Lise Lund Bjånesøy: The propensity to vote for the nativist right – citizen response in open text

Lise Bjånesøy, PhD Candidate at DIGSSCORE presented for us about the nativist right and open text answers from the Norwegian Citizen Panel.

Abstract:
This study explores the propensity to vote for the nativist right using open-ended questions. A large body of literature has demonstrated that the main explanation for casting a vote for the nativist right is opposition to immigration. However, no study has yet to let the voters themselves explain their reasons for voting, or not voting for the nativist right. Using unique open-ended survey responses from a representative online panel directly drawn from the Norwegian population registry, this study can give more in-depth explanations and demonstrate the nuances in voting patterns for the nativist right in Norway. Like the leading literature, this paper finds that the main driver of voting for the nativist right is opposition to immigration and Muslims. However, it also demonstrates that the reasons not to vote for the nativist right can be categorized into three main reasons -- the party's history and extreme rhetoric, the view of the party as too populist and extreme and dangerous to democracy, and finally, the complete disagreement with the party's ideology as being too inhumane and promoting dangerous values.