European Political Science Review
Blinded by out-group hatred: why does radical party entry fail to boost its voters’ satisfaction with democracy?
2026-07-13
This paper examines why voters of radical parties do not experience an increase in satisfaction with democracy (SWD) after their electoral entry. Drawing on evidence that radical party voters are among the most affectively polarized, we argue that negative affect towards the out-group winner may outweigh the utility gains from in-group results, thus counterbalancing any entry-driven SWD boost. To evaluate our theory, we combine observational, experimental, and qualitative evidence from two studies of Éric Zemmour voters, the radical right candidate who disrupted the 2022 French elections. Our findings confirm that Zemmour voters did not experience the expected boost in SWD after their first election and provide evidence of a negative affective response to the out-group (Macron) win as the driving mechanism. The qualitative analysis further supports a causal path from negative feelings towards the winner to questioning the democratic system. Contrary to representation theories, our paper suggests that the institutional inclusion of marginalized political groups may not correct democratic dissatisfaction in highly polarized contexts.