Is Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht A New Alternative for Populist Voters?

Abstract In just five months, Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW) progressed from its foundation to winning six seats in the European Parliament. Research has indicated that the party has significant potential, particularly among voters of Germany’s two populist parties: Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Die Linke. Since BSW is also classified as a populist party, this article explores the extent to which populist attitudes influence the vote choice preference for BSW. The analysis employs a three-dimensional populism scale, using data from a VAA-like website. The results reveal that voters intending to vote for BSW exhibit strong anti-elitist and people-centric views, but do not hold Manichean outlooks. This positions BSW voters ideologically between Die Linke and AfD voters in terms of populist ideation – albeit closer to the AfD, reflecting the party-level populism of BSW. Additionally, populist attitudes, particularly anti-elitism, are significant predictors of vote-switching from other parties to BSW.