How do elites view ideology? Analysing candidates’ associations of left and right

Political ideology is a fundamental aspect of politics and a well-researched area of political science, but difficult to measure. By examining the sentiment of political elites’ associations with ‘left’ and ‘right’, this study shows the direction and extent of elites’ attitudes – measured by sentiment analysis – towards ideology by analysing three waves of German Bundestag election candidate surveys (2013, 2017 and 2021). The results show that there is an asymmetry in attitudes towards political ideology among German candidates. Centre-left and left-wing candidates consistently view left ideology positively and right ideology negatively. Compared to left-leaning candidates, right-leaning candidates, except the far-right AfD in 2017 and 2021, have less positive attitudes towards right ideology and less negative attitudes towards left ideology. A key implication is that the left–right continuum may need to be partially reconsidered or reconceptualised, as elite attitudes towards ideological poles can significantly shape political behaviour, communication, and representation.