Representational deprivation: niche parties, niche voters and political protest

Political participation has increasingly taken unconventional forms in advanced democracies. At the same time, traditional party systems of Europe have been upended by recent emergence successful niche parties. While some studies examined partisanship and protest tandem, literature lacks a theoretical framework that ties voters to political protest. This article argues are more likely than mainstream voters, especially when politics governing coalitions results parties being unable represent their voters. Specifically, joins coalition with PM who is ideologically distant from party’s position. Using all nine waves European Social Survey Western Europe, findings broadly support this argument. These important implications for understanding conditions under which people engage protest, parties.Supplemental data can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2022.2040237 .