Across Europe, right-wing parties are gaining support amid seemingly growing societal uncertainty. The present study investigates how perceived societal uncertainty shapes right-wing political orientation in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. We developed and validated the Subjective Societal Uncertainty Scale (SSUS) – a novel, reliable measure capturing individuals’ perceptions of societal unpredictability. Using cross-national survey data (N = 736), we examined how perceived threat, loss of control (LoC), and need for cognitive closure (NFC) influence the relationship between uncertainty and political orientation. Structural equation modeling revealed that greater societal uncertainty significantly was associated with perceived threat, which in turn was associated with stronger right-wing orientation. Contrary to expectations, LoC was not significantly influenced by uncertainty and was instead associated with more left-leaning orientation. NFC was positively linked to right-wing orientation and perceived threat but did not moderate the hypothesized pathways. These findings highlight perceived threat as a central psychological mechanism in Europe’s rightward shift, offering insights into how uncertainty shapes political landscapes.