Endorsing populism to cope with ambiguity? The role of the need for closure, self-deception, and personal values in advocating populist attitudes

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between the need for cognitive closure, self-deception, personal values, and populism to shed light on the motivational dynamics underlying the adoption of populist attitudes. Drawing on Jost's perspective on the role of ambiguity management needs and ideological conservatism in shaping political attitudes, this study also highlights the dynamics relating populist attitudes to the left-right political continuum.A total of 785 Italian adults (F = 56.6 %; mean age = 35.8 years, SD = 14.1) anonymously participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire. Path analysis revealed that self-deception drove populist attitudes; the need for cognitive closure was related to populist attitudes after individual value systems were aligned with ideological conservatism. The findings emphasized the greater importance of personal values over political values in driving political attitudes and suggested that a fusion of left- and right-wing populism may occur based on shared authoritarian predispositions. Practical implications for educational curricula were discussed.