Illiberal attitudes in Central Europe

What are the social origins of illiberal rule and support for populist parties? This paper investigates current theories about the roots of illiberal attitudes, specifically with regard to state-church relations, democracy, the economy and minorities. Using new experimental data from four Central European countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), the study finds that respondents are dissatisfied with democracy and overwhelmingly support teaching Christianity in schools, economic paternalism, state regulation of ethnic relations, and opposition to same-sex marriage. However, these attitudes are nuanced insofar as they indicate support for illiberal policies without explicit xenophobia, homophobia, and religious intolerance. By offering a rigorous examination of original experimental data on the social roots of these attitudes, the study aims to shed some new light on major debates about the origins of illiberalism.