Abstract
Populism is on the rise with various movements having electoral breakthroughs. Most social-science research on populism has focused primarily on party tactics and rhetoric, and a definition for the term itself; only recently has populism emerged as a psychological construct. We contribute to this growing literature with two studies (n = 456 and n = 5,837) that investigated the cultural worldviews underpinned in populist attitudes. Using the social axioms model, an etic framework for assessing people’s generalized social expectations, we linked populist attitudes to universal dimensions of culture. We found that higher levels of social cynicism and social flexibility, and to a lesser extent, lower levels of fate control and reward for application predicted populist attitudes. These findings indicate that people who endorse populist attitudes, across a range of contexts, are cynical regarding the social world, believe in alternative solutions to social dilemmas, but may also perceive a world that is difficult to control and potentially unfair. The discussion focuses on the cultural forces that may drive or facilitate populist attitudes across context and time.
Highlights
Populist movements and populist parties have grown considerably across the world, becoming a prominent political force in many nations
For Hypothesis 1, we observed that most populist attitudes were related to social cynicism
Perhaps people high on social cynicism endorse anti-elitism because they do not believe political and cultural establishments to have their best interests in mind, yet endorse the sovereignty of the people dimension to combat the status quo
Summary
Populist movements and populist parties have grown considerably across the world, becoming a prominent political force in many nations. Populism can emerge in different parts of the world like the U.S, Brazil, Philippines, Spain, Poland or India, and it may be associated with different political ideologies (e.g., left-wing versus right-wing). We know very little about if there are any cultural norms and values that are prominent among supporters of populism, or which make people receptive to populist ideas.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call