American Political Science Review· 2026Q1
Public Service Decline and Support for the Populist Right: Evidence from England’s National Health Service
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Closures of local health facilities in England increased support for populist right parties by 10% and decreased public satisfaction with services, particularly in areas with higher migrant registrations.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Local health facility closures in England were linked to reduced public satisfaction with services.
- Facility closures also increased support for populist right parties.
- The impact of closures on populist support was stronger in areas with higher migrant registrations.
- Findings suggest public service decline is a key driver of populist support, especially amid demographic change.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The rise of populist right parties is well-studied, but relatively little attention has been given to how public service performance influences voter support. Given that public services are often the primary means through which citizens interact with the state, we argue that declining public services can create grievances that increase the appeal of populist right parties. Focusing on England’s National Health Service (NHS), we combine administrative data on local health facility closures with panel data on public preferences and voting intentions. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design, we find that closures reduce satisfaction with public services and increase support for populist right parties. These effects are moderated by migrant registrations at local health practices, highlighting the interaction between public service performance and immigration concerns in fueling populist right support. Our findings underscore the role of public service decline as a driver of support for populist parties, especially in areas undergoing demographic change.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. American Political Science Review, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences