Replication Data for: Defending the Status Quo or Seeking Change? Electoral Outcomes, Affective Polarisation, and Support for Referendums

Voters of governing parties are more satisfied with democracy than opposition voters, but the consequences of this winner-loser gap remain underexplored. We argue that electoral losers should be more supportive of referendums than electoral winners, as representative democracy has failed electoral losers, whereas electoral winners aim to protect their party’s ability to govern without constraint. In addition, we theorise that affective polarisation should strengthen this gap. Using cross-national survey data from 13 European democracies, we find that electoral losers consistently show greater support for referendums than winners, and affective polarisation amplifies this effect. Yet, the effect of affective polarisation is solely attributed to a decrease in support for referendums among polarised election winners. These findings raise questions about the role of affective polarisation in undermining the accountability mechanism between electoral winners and their parties. Concerns about electoral losers might be overstated, and potentially overlook the democratic implications of electoral victory.