In connection with DPSA 2024 Lasse Laustsen and Claire Gothreau are awarded Politica Best Paper Prize 2023 for their article "Diskriminerer danske vælgere kvindelige og etniske minoritetskandidater? Resultater fra et surveyeksperiment", in which they investigate potential cuases for the underrepresentation of women and ethnic monitories in Danish election campaigns.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7146/politica.v55i4.141535

Abstract: Representation of both women and ethnic minorities is a recurring theme in Danish election campaigns. One possible explanation for the persistent underrepresentation is that voters evaluate women and ethnic minority individuals less positively compared to ethnically Danish men, and that this tendency is potentially strongest among right-leaning voters with high Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Analyses from a survey experiment with 1,116 representative Danes show that, on average, Danes do not perceive women and ethnic minority individuals as worse politicians. However, nuanced exploratory analyses indicate that as SDO and right-leaning ideology increase, voters evaluate ethnic minority candidates less positively, whereas a similar ideological pattern is not found for female candidates. Thus, representation issues for women and ethnic minorities relate differently to SDO and political ideology. Theoretical and normative implications of the results are discussed in conclusion (article is in Danish).