Populist Voting in the 2019 European Elections

Abstract

This paper looks at the electoral performances of populist parties of the left, right and centre in the 2019 European elections. Using survey data, it examines the main drivers of the populist vote. The paper finds that populist voters do not all fit the so-called ‘globalization losers’ profile, yet they tend to see themselves as economically disadvantaged and to support economic redistribution. Ideologically, populist voting is embedded in broader sets of socio-political conflicts and identities, which strongly differentiate between different instances of populism. Finally, opposition to European integration, critical views of EU democracy and the lack of support for democratic government are common features of populist voting across the spectrum.