Psychological bases of anti‐immigration attitudes among populist voters

Abstract

AbstractThe ascent of populism has been linked with economic and cultural disruptions of modernization. From this perspective, it could be implied that factors such as psychological insecurity and uncertainty are key in making voters gravitate toward the populist narrative. The present research aimed at highlighting the psychological determinants that uncertainties deriving from modernization processes may activate in populist voters. Specifically, we focused on immigration in Italy, investigating whether and how support for different populist parties relates to development of negative attitudes toward immigrants. Two samples of Italian adults (total N = 1655), who voted in the Italian general elections of March 4, 2018 took part in the research. Multigroup path analysis showed that assumption of anti‐immigration stances through the joint mediating role of Dangerous World Belief and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism was shared by different groups of populist voters. However, different populist voters differed in the strength of the path passing through Competitive Jungle World Belief and Social Dominance Orientation. Results underline the relevance of social worldviews and ideological attitudes in shaping the attitudes of the Italian populist electorate.