The Anxious Middle Class: Risk of Downward Mobility and Support for Radical Right Parties across Western Europe

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between economic insecurity of the middle class and support for radical right parties (RRP) in 13 Western European countries. Economic insecurity is conceptualised as the occupational risk of downward mobility. To capture the potential mitigating effects of upward mobility prospects and a growing middle class on economic insecurity, I compute a novel index that incorporates the other two dynamics in addition to the risk of downward mobility. I find that economic insecurity differs across occupational groups and countries. Both measures are positively correlated with RRP support. The results highlight that the decline of the middle class has implications for the political sphere.