Populist Words Speak Louder? Ideology-Inconsistent Personalization and Voting for Populist Candidates. (28th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Müller, Philipp; Denner, Nora
• Is Part Of: International journal of public opinion research. Volume 33:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 799
• Page End: 817
• Publication Date: 2021-06-28
• Subjects: Public opinion -- Addresses, essays, lectures -- Periodicals; 303.38
• DOI: 10.1093/ijpor/edaa042
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-2892

Abstract

Abstract: The private background of populist politicians oftentimes seemingly contradicts the populist ideology—which can be taken up in political communication. Using two experiments ( n Study 1 = 734; n Study 2 = 568), we investigate the effects of such ideology-inconsistent personalization on the evaluation of and voting for a populist candidate. We manipulate the politician's localness and social class (Study 1) and traditionalism in family life (Study 2). Results reveal a number of effects on candidate evaluation which translated into voting intentions. An upper-class background of the populist politician yielded negative effects, but less so among populist voters. However, references to a cosmopolitan biography decreased perceived trustworthiness among all participants. Surprisingly, a nontraditional (i.e., homosexual) relationship was beneficial for a (female) populist.