Authoritarian Demand in East‐Central Europe Post‐Pandemic and Amid Neighbouring War

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a noticeable democratic decline worldwide, revealing a tendency of voters to elect leaders with authoritarian tendencies. In East-Central European countries, authoritarian attitudes reached unprecedented heights since their accession to the EU. Existing academic literature highlights key drivers of support for authoritarianism in this region of the continent, including anti-elite sentiments, political anxiety, economic threat, and perceived injustice. However, there is little scientific evidence related to the strength of these variables in a post-pandemic context and amid a neighbouring war. Drawing on original public opinion data collected in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, the current study identifies the main driving forces behind public demand for authoritarianism in these countries. The article develops a comparative perspective and thus contributes to a nuanced comprehension of the resurgence of authoritarianism in this part of the world.