Working paper with Isabela Mares, Yale University. Last update: 2024.11.10

Abstract: In the postwar period, several countries adopted constitutional and legal provisions allowing governments to initiate repressive measures against political actors espousing illiberal attitudes. Such measures, which include party bans, have been studied as forms of ‘militant democracy.’ We report the result of a national survey of German voters measuring support for the activation of a party ban against Germany’s far-right party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). We find that the messaging of political backlash of party bans substantially reduces the support among centrist party voters. Also, centrist voters support more moderate policies of militant democracy over more extreme measures. Finally, we show that centrist voters’ normative considerations about the militant democracy predict variation in their attitudes towards these policies.

Under review. Draft and data coming soon.

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