Support for authoritarian and populist parties climbs across Europe, study shows
New research covering 31 European nations finds a historic rise in votes for parties labelled authoritarian or populist, with Germany showing the sharpest increase.
The Authoritarian Populism Index, released by EPICenter and the Nordic think-tank Timbro, analyses parliamentary election outcomes for 260 parties across 31 European countries since free elections began. The study reveals that support for parties classified as authoritarian or populist has surged to a post-war peak, a trend attributed to mainstream parties’ inability to meet contemporary concerns and a growing distrust of elites.
Germany recorded the most pronounced jump, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieving more than 20 % of the vote in the most recent national poll, contrasted with a combined 13.8 % for radical-left groups. Researchers note that populist parties are often culturally conservative and split evenly on economic issues, and while many are eurosceptic, few advocate leaving the EU. Seats for non-mainstream parties now appear in 11 of the 31 governments, and the spread of populist rhetoric is linked to tougher anti-migration policies across the continent.
Why it matters
Rising populist support signals shifting political dynamics that could reshape policies across Europe.
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