2026/01/01 by Davide Vittori, Sebastien Rojon, Jean-Benoit Pilet · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Social Media and Politics #Populism, Right-Wing Movements
paper · doi:10.1353/wp.2026.a980472
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/01/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/19
abstract: This article investigates whether citizens meaningfully distinguish between profiles of politicians—government ministers in particular—based on the paradigms of democracy that the ministers embody. Although previous research shows that sociodemographic characteristics and political beliefs influence voters’ candidate choices, research has paid little attention to whether candidates’ representational paradigms influence voters. Using a con-joint experiment conducted across fifteen Western and Eastern European countries, this study examines respondents’ preferences for candidates who embody six representational paradigms, which the authors derive from the literature. The findings reveal that citizens value candidates who represent the will of the people and do not belong to a particular political party, compared to those who are affiliated with political parties and are primarily accountable to a parliament. Moreover, the study demonstrates that trustful citizens prioritize candidates who embody a paradigm resembling the well-known responsible party model more than do distrustful citizens, and those with populist attitudes favor candidates with an instructed delegate paradigm and to a lesser extent, a technocratic paradigm.