The democratic consequences of demographic changes: Status anxieties among white Republicans and their politicization for autocratic aims

In October of 2021, President Biden argued that the storming of the capitol nine months earlier “[had been] about white supremacy.” While the rioters of that day were made up of a mixture of Christian nationalists, QAnon supporters as well as a variety of other far right outfits, one of the concerns shared by these groups related to their declining status in society. Five years earlier, Donald Trump had already owed his successful nomination in large part to the support of racially resentful and ethnocentric white voters, illustrating the clout this group possessed within the party. Since then, their position appears to have strengthened as the significance of white identity has become a defining feature of Republican voters. Linked to this are anxieties about their own future place in a nation in which non-Hispanic whites will become a minority within the next quarter century. Polling during the Trump presidency, for example, indicated that an increasing share of Republicans now believes whites are subject to evermore discrimination, in their eyes sometimes even more extensive than what minorities have to contend with. These trends have coincided with a similar growth among (white) Republicans in the belief that political violence to protect the American way of life can be acceptable if not necessary. The proposed paper will assess the extent of the status anxiety present among white Republican voters, compare it to previous iterations of similar concerns, for example among white Southerners before and during the Civil Rights era as well as Christian conservative apprehensions throughout the 20th century while, moreover, assessing the potential for violence and a further dilution in democratic norms in the coming years. This will illustrate that fears related to demographic changes among white conservatives have become a cornerstone of the Republican Party and represent arguably the most dangerous threat to US democracy as the nation further diversifies