Ideological Congruence Following the Great Recession

Abstract

This chapter analyses changes in ideological congruence following the Great Recession and the huge institutional crisis that has occurred in Spain over the 2010s. Data show that ideological congruence on the left-right scale is lower following the Great Recession than before. The reason is not only the emergence of new parties, some of which are radical, but the fact that the two traditional mainstream parties have become more extreme and polarised. The polarisation process has made parties more congruent with voters at the extremes of the ideological scale, but much less congruent with those placed around the centre. However, there is more congruence in attitudes towards taxation and public services, because since the crisis citizens have seemed more favourable towards tax increases, a change that has placed them closer to MPs on this issue.