Eroding, evolving, or resilient? Political culture in polarised societies

Several consequences of ongoing crises and recent political developments for political culture are well documented: For example, research shows how the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped political trust and distrust (cf. Devine et al., 2024); how (partially) new forms of climate activism have emerged in response to the climate crisis (De Moor et al., 2020); that voters increasingly punish established parties and governments in favour of extremist and populist parties (Milner, 2021; Norris & Inglehart, 2019); and that societies are becoming polarised with consequences for democratic norms (Hobolt et al., 2020; Kingzette et al., 2021). However, most studies examine these changes in political beliefs, orientations, and behaviours in isolation—although they are likely interconnected and might be expressions of larger cultural transformations. In this workshop, we want to facilitate a discussion around the bigger picture: Is democratic political culture in crisis? Are these changes simply evidence that political culture is evolving? What is the role of ongoing crises and increasing societal polarisation in changes in political culture? And do we need an updated understanding of (democratic) political culture? This workshop is an opportunity to bring scholars from different subfields and with different substantial and geographical focuses together to reflect on changes in political culture in democracies and beyond, identifying general patterns and variations across countries and regime types. It aims to further our understanding of how changes in values, orientations, and behaviours are interconnected and gives the opportunity to reflect on the potential societal and political consequences of changing political cultures.

- De Moor, J., De Vydt, M., Uba, K., & Wahlström, M. (2021). New kids on the block: Taking stock of the recent cycle of climate activism. Social Movement Atudies, 20(5), 619-625. -Devine, D., Valgarðsson, V., Smith, J., Jennings, W., Scotto di Vettimo, M., Bunting, H., & McKay, L. (2024). Political trust in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis of 67 studies. Journal of European Public Policy, 31(3), 657-679. -Hobolt, S. B., Leeper, T. J., & Tilley, J. (2021). Divided by the Vote: Affective Polarization in the Wake of the Brexit Referendum. British Journal of Political Science, 51(4), 1476–1493. -Milner, H. V. (2021). Voting for Populism in Europe: Globalization, Technological Change, and the Extreme Right. Comparative Political Studies, 54(13), 2286-2320. -Norris, P., & Inglehart, R. (2019). Cultural backlash: Trump, Brexit, and authoritarian populism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. -Kingzette, J., Druckman, J. N., Klar, S., Krupnikov, Y., Levendusky, M., & Ryan, J. B. (2021). How affective polarization undermines support for democratic norms. Public Opinion Quarterly, 85(2), 663-677.

1: What impact did recent crises and developments have on political culture across different countries?
2: Is (democratic) political culture in crisis? Is it eroding, evolving, or resilient?
3: (How) are observed changes in beliefs, values, orientations, and behaviours connected?
4: What are the societal and political consequences of changing political culture?
5: Is our understanding of the concept of (democratic) political culture still accurate?

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