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Persuasive Populism? Estimating the Effect of Populist Messages on Political Cynicism
[journal article]
Abstract Many European countries have seen a growth of populism in recent years. Extant research shows that populist parties are increasingly successful, and that populist messages appear more frequently in the media. This raises the question to what extent populist messages affect public opinion. The aim of... view more
Many European countries have seen a growth of populism in recent years. Extant research shows that populist parties are increasingly successful, and that populist messages appear more frequently in the media. This raises the question to what extent populist messages affect public opinion. The aim of this study is to assess whether populist messages fuel political cynicism by arguing that an arrogant, selfish and complacent political elite does not listen to what ordinary people find important. Moreover, it assesses whether populist messages affect only those already favourably predisposed towards populist parties, or whether it affects citizens across the board. The results of a survey experiment, conducted in the Netherlands, suggests that individuals who are exposed to populist messages are indeed more cynical afterwards than individuals who are exposed to a very similar, but more 'neutrally formulated' message. However, the effects seem to be restricted to supporters of populist parties.... view less
Keywords
populism; influence; public opinion; political attitude; attitude change; voting behavior; Netherlands
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
political cynicism; survey experiments
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 136-145
Journal
Politics and Governance, 5 (2017) 4
Issue topic
Populism and the Remaking of (Il)Liberal Democracy in Europe
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed