Voters and violence. Exploring Dutch Voters’ Perspectives and Reactions on (Gendered) Political Violence

Violence against politicians is part of the current political climate all over the world. Because of such violence, politicians increasingly consider quitting their jobs; they shy away from discussing migration and feminist policy issues in debates; or they change their way of interacting with constituents. As such violence has serious deteriorating consequences for our representative democracies. While the severe (gendered) consequences for politicians themselves are increasingly being documented, little is known about how voters perceive violence in politics and the extent to which it has consequences on their political behavior and trust in politics. To unravel the consequences of political violence, we first determine the extent to which voters perceive violence against politicians as part of political work and whether they perceive it as gendered. Secondly, we show if this perception has consequences for their own behavior and views on politics. Lastly, we study whether the consequences for citizens are gendered: is the impact of violence against politicians equal for men, women, and those who identify differently? This research will be conducted in the Netherlands using data from the national election survey that will be collected in January 2024 following the national elections of November 2023. Violence against politicians is, also in the Netherlands, widespread on both the local and national level against both men and women. Though, women politicians report experiencing more violence than men. This context thus allows us to test whether citizens recognize violence and whether they perceive it to be gendered.