Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic

As immigration issues waned in salience during the COVID-19 pandemic, populist radical right (PRR) parties repositioned themselves by politicizing various pandemic policies. In light of this changing political landscape, scholars have analyzed what factors are associated with PRR voting. Yet, most s...

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Main Authors: Ka Ming Chan, Laura B Stephenson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:Research & Politics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680241228358
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author Ka Ming Chan
Laura B Stephenson
author_facet Ka Ming Chan
Laura B Stephenson
author_sort Ka Ming Chan
collection DOAJ
description As immigration issues waned in salience during the COVID-19 pandemic, populist radical right (PRR) parties repositioned themselves by politicizing various pandemic policies. In light of this changing political landscape, scholars have analyzed what factors are associated with PRR voting. Yet, most studies focus on small sets of covariates that could easily ignore other key determinants. To address this limitation, we use MI-LASSO logistic regression, which is a more inductive data-driven approach that can incorporate a huge number of covariates. Our research analyzes the key determinants of voting for the People’s Party of Canada—a PRR party that rose rapidly during the pandemic. Using the 2021 Canadian Election Study dataset ( N = 14,841), we confirm that PRR voters in the pandemic were both protest and policy-oriented voters. They were protest voters since anti-establishment attitudes consistently correlate with their vote choice. On the other hand, PRR voters’ policy concern was about pandemic policies rather than immigration, as nativist attitudes never emerge as key determinants. Additionally, we uncover that the ideological placement of the mainstream right party and the defense of hate speech are strong correlates, while conventional variables like sociodemographics are not. These findings enrich our understanding of PRR voting during the pandemic.
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spelling doaj.art-2dee46a08c4440a7a0629775f6e2d3eb2024-01-25T07:03:23ZengSAGE PublishingResearch & Politics2053-16802024-01-011110.1177/20531680241228358Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemicKa Ming ChanLaura B StephensonAs immigration issues waned in salience during the COVID-19 pandemic, populist radical right (PRR) parties repositioned themselves by politicizing various pandemic policies. In light of this changing political landscape, scholars have analyzed what factors are associated with PRR voting. Yet, most studies focus on small sets of covariates that could easily ignore other key determinants. To address this limitation, we use MI-LASSO logistic regression, which is a more inductive data-driven approach that can incorporate a huge number of covariates. Our research analyzes the key determinants of voting for the People’s Party of Canada—a PRR party that rose rapidly during the pandemic. Using the 2021 Canadian Election Study dataset ( N = 14,841), we confirm that PRR voters in the pandemic were both protest and policy-oriented voters. They were protest voters since anti-establishment attitudes consistently correlate with their vote choice. On the other hand, PRR voters’ policy concern was about pandemic policies rather than immigration, as nativist attitudes never emerge as key determinants. Additionally, we uncover that the ideological placement of the mainstream right party and the defense of hate speech are strong correlates, while conventional variables like sociodemographics are not. These findings enrich our understanding of PRR voting during the pandemic.https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680241228358
spellingShingle Ka Ming Chan
Laura B Stephenson
Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
Research & Politics
title Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
title_full Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
title_fullStr Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
title_short Using MI-LASSO to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
title_sort using mi lasso to study populist radical right voting in times of pandemic
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680241228358
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