Ostracism as a threat to modern democracies: Evidence from 11 European countries

Ostracism-being ignored and excluded-has been shown to fuel threats to democracies, including increased willingness to engage in violent actions, endorsement of partisan falsehoods, and belief in political conspiracy theories. Recently, low social belonging has been linked with lower voter turnout and increased populist party support, thus illustrating how an individual's social experiences may prove consequential for political processes. Importantly, low levels of belonging may originate from social ostracism, as ostracized individuals are denied social partaking by others. In a registered report, we analyzed large survey data including reported voting behavior in the past national election from 11 European countries, and we found that ostracism is associated with lower voter turnout. Ostracism was not connected to populist party vote, irrespective of their ideological orientation (far-left vs. far-right). The findings highlight the need to better understand and consider how individuals' social experiences are relevant in safeguarding modern democracies.