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AbstractThis study examines the relationship between environmentalism and nationalism, including eco‐nationalism, from comparative empirical survey studies. This study uses the Integrated Value Survey dataset, comprising approximately 240,000 respondents from 100 countries since 2010, to explore nationalism and pro‐environmental attitudes among public opinion across various countries. From a global perspective, a positive correlation between national pride or national identity and environmentalism is observed among many countries, whereas in a few regions, namely, certain parts of Western Europe and North America, both sentiments exhibit a negative correlation. Further regression analysis indicates that eco‐nationalism and green nationalism tend to emerge in less economically developed countries but are not affected by the degree of democracy, resource rent and level of globalisation. This study demonstrates that the link between environmentalism and nationalism is not definitive but contextual, and it clarifies the context that defines it through empirical international comparisons.

The phenomena of democratic backsliding in enlarged European Union countries of central, eastern, and southeastern Europe tend to be lumped together. These paradigms fail to capture differences across countries and time, and the differences in backsliding among the subcomponents of liberal democracy. This study analyzes this issue from several indicators provided by V-Dem for 18 countries. The results indicate that democratic backsliding has been occurring in Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey, while not as much in other countries. What has been observed in these four countries is that the violation of the liberal component of democracy, the weakening of judicial control and restrictions on freedom of expression, comesbeforethe violation of the cleanliness of democracy and the full breakdown of democracy. Through a comparative weighing of multiple indicators, this study clarifies the nuanced reality of democratic regression in the region.

AbstractThis research focuses on how elections affect national pride, one of the core components of an individual's sense of nationalism. Recent studies have found that elections can be crucial moments in enhancing nationalistic sentiment. I conducted an in‐depth survey of research polling in Latvia, where the ethnic majority–minority structure is clear and issues of nationalism have long been salient. It therefore offers an interesting case for observing whose national pride can be changed over the short term during the electoral season. Survey research conducted repeatedly both before and after the general election produced the following findings: 1) an electoral enhancement effect on national pride exists, regardless of ethnic majority or minority status; 2) the pride of those who support the party of the incumbent prime minister is enhanced as elections get closer, but that of radical right party supporters is not. These results shed light on yet another aspect of the connection between elections and nationalism.

Ethnically divided societies often seek political cohesion by pursuing nationalizing policies. Latvia scores some success, for example, the notion that citizens should speak the national language and respect government institutions coincides with portrayals of ethnic minorities as a challenge to democracy. The focus on nation-state building has resulted in persistently low levels of political engagement and public confidence among the citizenry. Public survey data shows that many voters believe their concerns have been neglected by elected representatives, who have fixed their attention on ethnopolitical issues. While we see no demonstrable correlation between ethnicity and levels of political dejection, ethnonational politics explains unstable voter–representative relations and electoral volatility during the Saeima elections from 2010 to 2018. These unanticipated effects of nation-state building on Latvia's electoral politics invite a rethinking of the relationship between voters and their elected representatives in democratically consolidated, yet divided nations.