The Electoral Participation of Muslim Immigrants in Liberal Democracies: A Generational and Cross-National Perspective

Scholars have extensively researched immigrants’ electoral participation in Western liberal democracy (WLD) during the last few decades. However, while existing studies have explored the electoral participation of immigrants from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and the potential differences that may exist between them and the native citizens, only a few have focused on Muslim immigrants’ turnout through a generational lens and from a cross-national perspective. This is surprising considering how Islam and Muslim communities have become a silent political issue in most WLDs and while right-wing populist political actors question Muslim citizens’ commitment to democratic values and practices in those countries. Our study aims to fill this gap. Using cross-national data from the European Values Survey (EVS), the European Social Survey (ESS), the Canadian Election Study (CES), the Australian Election Study (AES), and the American National Election Studies (ANES), we will investigate the following main research questions: Does Muslim immigrants’ electoral turnout follow any specific pattern in liberal democracies? In other worlds, to what extent does being a Muslim immigrant in a WLD make individuals more (or less) prone to go to vote than being non-Muslim immigrants? Are those patterns stable through generations, especially between the first and second-generation Muslim immigrants? Do differences in turnout among Muslim immigrants exist? If yes, what explains those differences? To answer these questions, we will employ a multilevel modeling approach to investigate these patterns across different national contexts in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States. By focusing on Muslim immigrants, this study will contribute to the broader understanding of political participation among minority groups, focusing particularly on generational shifts and cross-national comparisons in well-established liberal democracies.