Why do Poles (still) Dislike Political Parties?
Some Survey Insights into Anti-Party Attitudes in Poland, 1995–2011
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Publication date: 2014-01-07
Polish Sociological Review 2013;184(4):467-486
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ABSTRACT
The article examines the negative approach of Poles towards political parties and partisanship
in the recent years, presenting this phenomenon as a part of wider anti-party syndrome, characterizing
Polish democracy after 1989. Adapting the approach of Torcal, Gunther and Montero (2002), the author
constructs a scale of the anti-partyism, based on the statements typical for anti-party discourse, assessed
by respondents in three surveys conducted in 1995, 2001 and 2011. Subsequently, some explanations of
anti-party attitudes are tested. The analyses demonstrate that anti-partyism in Poland is relatively durable
and embraces both cultural and reactive components. Anti-party attitudes are more visible among citizens
socialized during the communist period. However, the consolidation of democracy generated its “own”
anti-partyism: the youngest citizens were gradually more disinclined to political parties in the period
analyzed (1995–2011).