How Improving Public Economic Sentiment Pushes Parties Away From Environmentalism

Do parties change their environmental position in response to a change in voters’ macroeconomic sentiment? In the current two-dimensional party competition that characterises European political competition, the dimensions correlate with each other. In particular, the economy and the environment are adjacent issue areas. As public economic mood shifts, parties can respond on either dimension to maximise their votes. Combining European Social Survey and Chapel Hill Expert Survey data from 2010 to 2024, this study shows that (1) cross-issue responsiveness exists between the economy and the environment, and (2) greater ideological distance from voters amplifies the response. The broader implication is that environmental policy is not simply a luxury good for parties, but movement on the issue is subject to party competitive interests. The study further expands our knowledge of party responsiveness and suggests the possibility of cross-issue responses in other issue areas.