How the radical right reshapes public opinion: the Sweden Democrats’ local mobilisation, 2002–2020

Abstract

This study enhances our understanding of the long-term impact of radical right parties (RRPs) on public opinion by examining the local mobilisation of the Sweden Democrats (SD) over the past two decades. Drawing on extensive local-level data from Sweden’s 290 municipalities (2002–2020), merged with survey data, the study reveals that the gradual establishment of RRPs in local politics alters voters’ policy preferences, increasing the salience of immigration. The study further shows that the SD’s local presence reshapes societal divides, leading individuals to increasingly sort their ideological views according to their positions on immigration, while reducing the prominence of economic redistribution issues. Consequently, public attention shifts away from traditional economic-redistributive conflicts towards immigration-related concerns. These findings have significant implications, suggesting that the local establishment of RRPs reconfigures public perceptions of political conflict from the grassroots level, independent of demographic trends, external crises, and even RRPs’ national leadership.