Populist Attitudes Among Youth in Europe
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Kathleen Montgomery
Expected Graduation Date
2018
Location
Room E106, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-21-2018 10:00 AM
End Date
4-21-2018 11:00 AM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
Scholars worry that the rise of populist radical right (PRR) parties in Europe and North America poses a threat to liberal democracy. It is unclear, however, if the recent success of these parties is a short-term phenomenon or part of a broader electoral realignment and cultural shift. In order to answer that question it is necessary to look at young voters and those in the pipeline who will begin voting in coming years. This paper seeks to establish the relationship between youth and populist attitudes in the three core aspects of right-wing populist ideology: populism, nativism and authoritarianism. Analyses are drawn from 15 European countries gathered from the MYPLACE dataset, which surveyed young people aged 15 to 24 years old (N=16,935). The first part of the analysis focuses on youth political attitudes in three areas of populism and finds that youth in Europe have strong anti-establishment (populist) attitudes, mixed feelings towards nativism and a significant level of anti-authoritarianism. The second part of the analysis focuses on why some youth express nativist attitudes. Findings suggest that young people who identify as Christian, express higher levels of cynicism about politics, and those come from families with lower education levels are also more likely than others to hold nativist views.
Populist Attitudes Among Youth in Europe
Room E106, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Scholars worry that the rise of populist radical right (PRR) parties in Europe and North America poses a threat to liberal democracy. It is unclear, however, if the recent success of these parties is a short-term phenomenon or part of a broader electoral realignment and cultural shift. In order to answer that question it is necessary to look at young voters and those in the pipeline who will begin voting in coming years. This paper seeks to establish the relationship between youth and populist attitudes in the three core aspects of right-wing populist ideology: populism, nativism and authoritarianism. Analyses are drawn from 15 European countries gathered from the MYPLACE dataset, which surveyed young people aged 15 to 24 years old (N=16,935). The first part of the analysis focuses on youth political attitudes in three areas of populism and finds that youth in Europe have strong anti-establishment (populist) attitudes, mixed feelings towards nativism and a significant level of anti-authoritarianism. The second part of the analysis focuses on why some youth express nativist attitudes. Findings suggest that young people who identify as Christian, express higher levels of cynicism about politics, and those come from families with lower education levels are also more likely than others to hold nativist views.