Red Europe Versus No Europe? The impact of attitudes towards the EU and the economic crisis on radical-left voting

The 2014 European Parliament election saw a relatively large increase in the size of radical left parties (RLPs), particularly in Western Europe. This article aims to provide new ways of thinking about the dynamics of radical-left voting by analyzing the changing role of attitudes towards the European Union (EU) in explaining support for RLPs at European Parliament elections during the Great Recession. It is argued that the Europeanization of economic issues during the financial crisis, together with the particular kind of Euroscepticism advocated by these parties, have enabled them to successfully attract a heterogeneous pool of voters. Using the 2009 and 2014 European Elections Studies, it is shown that the effect of negative opinions about the EU on radical-left voting increased significantly during the crisis. In addition, support for RLPs also increased among voters with positive views of the EU who were nevertheless strongly dissatisfied with the economic situation