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The Preferred Governing Actors of Populist Supporters: Survey Evidence From Eight European Countries

Author

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  • Jean-Benoit Pilet

    (Centre d’Étude de la Vie Politique (Cevipol), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)

  • Davide Vittori

    (Centre d’Étude de la Vie Politique (Cevipol), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)

  • Emilien Paulis

    (Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)

  • Sebastien Rojon

    (Centre d’Étude de la Vie Politique (Cevipol), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)

Abstract

Populist parties have been shown to attract many voters disillusioned with representative democracies. And some of these parties do indeed propose models of government that challenge contemporary democratic systems. However, we do not know exactly what the democratic preferences of populist party supporters are. We propose to fill this gap by investigating the types of actors that citizens who are more sympathetic to populist parties would like to see play a greater role in their national political system. First, we find that populists believe that citizens should be more involved, highlighting the people-centred nature of populism. Second, they advocate a greater role for business leaders, military generals, and religious leaders, a preference found among both right-wing and left-wing populists. Third, left-wing populists show a unique preference for scientific experts in government, suggesting a technocratic inclination. Conversely, right-wing populists are particularly critical of elected politicians, underlining their deep anti-elitist attitudes. Our findings suggest that, among citizens who are more sympathetic to populist parties, there is support for models of government that challenge representative democracy. The question is whether populist parties would be influenced by these citizens to push for institutional reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Benoit Pilet & Davide Vittori & Emilien Paulis & Sebastien Rojon, 2024. "The Preferred Governing Actors of Populist Supporters: Survey Evidence From Eight European Countries," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
  • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v12:y:2024:a:8731
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.8731
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Margaret Canovan, 1999. "Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 47(1), pages 2-16, March.
    2. Reinhard Heinisch & Carsten Wegscheider, 2020. "Disentangling How Populism and Radical Host Ideologies Shape Citizens’ Conceptions of Democratic Decision-Making," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(3), pages 32-44.
    3. Joshua M. Blank & Daron Shaw, 2015. "Does Partisanship Shape Attitudes toward Science and Public Policy? The Case for Ideology and Religion," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 658(1), pages 18-35, March.
    4. Caramani, Daniele, 2017. "Will vs. Reason: The Populist and Technocratic Forms of Political Representation and Their Critique to Party Government," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(1), pages 54-67, February.
    5. Joan Font & Magdalena Wojcieszak & Clemente J. Navarro, 2015. "Participation, Representation and Expertise: Citizen Preferences for Political Decision-Making Processes," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 63, pages 153-172, April.
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