Conclusion: from scarecrow to strategy Anti-communism remains a potent political weapon, not of course because communism poses a real threat, but because the idea of communism still serves as a versatile enemy. As the data show, affective and instru­mental anti-communism structure voter behaviour across diverse contexts. The far right understands this and exploits it. The challenge for democratic actors is to understand, confront and ultimately neutralise the»scarecrow« – or bogeyman – of communism not through denial or dis­missal, but through strategic engagement, narrative reframing and attitudinal insight. Ghosts may not be real but they still have the power to terrify. The scarecrow of communism 5