Who Supports the Golden Dawn? An Analysis of the Disillusioned Voter

Abstract

This chapter evaluates demand-side explanations for the rise of the Golden Dawn through an examination of the socio-demographic profile and political attitudes of its prospective supporters. It places support for the Golden Dawn within the broader European comparative framework, which identifies two main models of far right-wing party support, that is, the socio-economic and political grievance models. The chapter finds that the key to Golden Dawn support is grievance, anxiousness, bewilderment, insecurity and resentfulness, which prompt voters to support a party that propagates return to traditional values.