Beyond Left and Right: Quantitative Evidence of the Establishment–Anti-Establishment Dimension in Greece

Christos Papagiannis, Stefanos Tyros and Sofia Vasilopoulou

GreeSE – Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe from Hellenic Observatory, LSE

Abstract: In this paper, we provide evidence that, although the left–right dimension remains the primary axis of ideological competition among Greek voters, an emerging establishment— anti-establishment dimension has consolidated as a secondary, but quantitatively important, line of political differentiation, structuring vote choice and shaping broader patterns of party preference within society. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 2,574 Greek adults held on 24 March–4 April 2025, we compute net-score indices for 52 political-attitude items and apply principal-components analysis (PCA). Our results reveal two dominant dimensions: the first aligns with a classic socio-economic left–right axis, with cosmopolitan interventionism vs. ethno-nationalist market liberalism at the epicentre, while the second captures an establishment–anti-establishment dimension mapping a division of institutional trust and Western alignment vs. distrust and anti-elite sentiment. Analysing party electorates on these components uncovers clear clusters: mainstream parties anchor the pro-establishment pole, whereas both hard-right and radical-left challengers occupy anti-establishment positions despite adopting opposing socioeconomic stances. At the same time, though, we uncover that voters are more willing to move along the anti-establishment dimension for their second-choice party than they are to move left or right.

Keywords: Greek voters; political parties; left; right; ideological competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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