Bendegúz Plesz & András Körösényi (2024). The opportunities and constraints of successful heresthetical strategies: attitudes, identities, and the framing of the Russian-Ukrainian war in Hungary. East European Politics, 0(0), 1-25. (D1)

The paper explores how political actors shape public opinion on the Russian-Ukrainian war through strategic framing and heresthetical techniques, focusing on the case of Hungary during the 2022 parliamentary elections. Hungary provides a fascinating case study for heresthetic research due to the ambivalent and antagonistic political positions and framing strategies among political elites and citizens regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. By highlighting the role of a heresthetical dilemma posed during the election campaign, we provide a new aspect to the explanation of the unexpected 2022 election results.

Heresthetic strategies refer to the manipulation of how political issues are perceived, often by shifting the basis of judgment. Our study examines four key dimensions—security, economic interest, justification, and identity—to determine which are most susceptible to framing. Using a public opinion survey (N = 1000), we found that economic and security frames were particularly effective in influencing perceptions, while identity-based arguments remained resistant to change. This highlights the power of framing in political communication but also underscores the constraints imposed by deep-seated political identities.

Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of electoral strategy and democratic theory. The study demonstrates how political elites can successfully manipulate voter perceptions, but also how entrenched identities limit the scope of such strategies. These insights are especially relevant for scholars of political communication, electoral behaviour, and contemporary European politics.

The full article is available here: LINK