Electing Extremists: A Recipe for More Violence and Intolerance?

This study investigates whether voting for extremist political parties leads to increased societal violence and intolerance.

Context & Data: Using survey data from multiple countries following elections known for the rise of such parties.

Methods: Examines temporal trends in reported incidents of violence and public opinion polls on tolerance levels before and after election outcomes.

Findings: Analysis suggests a statistically significant increase in both violent acts and measured intolerance post-election results involving extremist groups.

The paper argues that electing parties perceived as representing extreme ideologies can legitimize harmful behaviors, thereby increasing their prevalence. This finding has implications for understanding political polarization's effects on social cohesion.