How the far right influences mainstream politics

What contribution do mainstream parties in Western democracies make to the normalization of far-right ideas and issues? A significant one, as the latest study by WZB researchers Teresa Völker and Daniel Saldivia Gonzatti shows.

In their paper Far-right agenda setting: How the far right influences the political mainstream, Völker and Saldivia Gonzatti examine how and under what conditions actors from the farright have influenced the communication of democratic parties (“mainstream parties”) in Germany since the 1990s.

The aim is to understand how issues raised by the radical and extreme right gain prominence in debates among democratic parties and thus in public discourse—a process that Teresa Völker and Daniel Saldivia Gonzatti refer to as the “discursive mainstreaming” of the extreme right. The term refers to the gradual process through which ideas of the extreme right—nativist, exclusionary, authoritarian—gain increasing visibility, resonance, and legitimacy in the public sphere. “Agenda setting,” on the other hand, refers to the mutual influence of mass media and political actors and, as a result, the public perception and discussion of certain issues. In their work, the authors put forward four hypotheses:

1. The agendas of far-right actors and established parties are converging over time.

2. The key issues of right-wing radical and right-wing extremist actors predict those of the established parties.

3. The influence of right-wing radical and right-wing extremist actors is stronger in right-wing conservative parties than in left-wing progressive parties.

4. The influence is stronger in opposition parties than in governing parties.

Their work is based on data from over 520,000 newspaper articles from six German newspapers (print version) between 1994 and 2021 that report on cultural debates (e.g., on migration, Islam, integration). “Democratic parties” include the CDU/CSU, SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, FDP, and The Left. “Far right” includes parties, social movements, civil society organizations, and violent groups that are both radical right-wing and extreme right-wing.

Agenda-setting effect extends across all party families
The findings show an increasing convergence between the agendas of the far right and established parties. The groups of actors have moved closer together, particularly on the issues of migration, Islam, and integration. Furthermore, the influence of the far right on the public communication of established parties has increased over time. This applies to the issues mentioned and with regard to opposition parties. This “agenda-setting effect” – i.e., the extent to which established parties adopt the issues of the far right – applies across all party families and notjust to right-wing conservative parties. However, the effect is stronger for opposition parties than for governing parties.

Role as agenda setter requires responsibility
Völker and Saldivia Gonzatti argue that not only political coalitions or alliances between democratic parties and radical parties, but also communicative processesare relevant to how far-right issues find their way into public debate. This underscores the importance of mass media and public debates as an arena in which the far right can place its issues—and established parties can respond to them. For democracy, this means that when established parties adopt issues that were previously considered fringe topics of the far right and respond to the far-right agenda, there is a risk of these issues becoming normalized and shifting the public discourse. For election campaigns, media strategies, and political communication, this in turn means that parties should act responsibly in their role as agenda setters and consider the impact of their communication on the rise of the far right.

27/10/25, EHA