Introduction: Comprehending Populist Political Communication

Abstract

The concept of populism has a long history in Austria and has received considerable attention in the scholarly literature. Data from Austrian parliamentary election studies from 1990 to 2013 provide an overview of the electorate of Austria's populist parties. In particular, in Austria where the populist rights recent nationwide support is estimated at approximately 30, often exceeding the support for Austria's two mainstream parties populist political communication certainly deserves more empirical research. In contrast to similar posters of the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) or the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), images in the Austrian Freedom Party's political advertising mostly show the top candidates. The Austrian Freedom Party is more dependent on its resonance with the media than other parties due to its weak anchoring in the social structure and its high dependence on public moods and emotions.