Populism converts entrenched abstentionism into obstructionist anti-system voting

Evidence

There is ample evidence of the close correlation between social status and voter turnout. But this expectation that democratic participation and securing social status should enable each other will function only as long as democratic elections actually rectify substantial and structurally entrenched social inequalities. Empirical studies confirm that a vicious circle becomes established when abstentionism becomes entrenched among the lower status segments of the population due to resignation over the lack of perceptible improvements in living conditions. Then the political parties that used to be ‘responsible’ for the interests of these disadvantaged strata tend to neglect a clientele from which they cannot currently expect to receive votes; and this tendency in turn strengthens the motivation for abstentionism. Today, the success of populist movements in mobilizing the potential of these non-voters is leading, not to a reversal, but to an ironic inversion of this vicious circle. Then, of course, these radicalized groups of non-voters no longer participate in elections under the accepted presuppositions of a democratic election, but instead in the spirit of obstructionist ‘opposition to the system’. — Jürgen Habermas, A New Structural Transformation of the…, 25

Categorization

• XREF: The mechanism of parties abandoning neglected strata who then radicalize connects to contemporary analyses of electoral realignment (e.g. Piketty on class cleavages), useful cross-domain parallel. — connects to: Populism can be mobilized either against or in service of the power bloc; Lesser-of-two-evils voting logic traps voters inside an accepted political cage — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black: How Race Still…, 622; Left populism helped destroy post-politics yet failed to restore mass politics — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 345 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Lesser-of-two-evils voting logic traps voters inside an accepted political cage #expands (0.82) — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 622
• Populism can be mobilized either against or in service of the power bloc #expands (0.80)