Partisanship with Rightist and Leftist Parties in Central America: A Test of Four Hypotheses.

This article investigates the individual-level determinants of partisanship with leftist and rightist parties in six Central American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama—using a decade of public opinion data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) between 2008 and 2018. The study finds that ideological self-placement on the left-right scale is the primary predictor of partisan attachments in the region. Additionally, engagement in religious organizations is positively associated with partisanship for rightist parties, while participation in community organizations correlates with attachments to leftist parties. Contrary to expectations, crime victimization does not significantly predict support for rightist parties, whereas protest participation is strongly linked to partisanship with leftist parties. These findings contribute to understanding party attachments in developing settings and highlight Central America's relevance in broader debates on party system stability and democratic consolidation.