Project

Populist parties have succeeded in the elections both in Finland, in Europe and globally. As a result of political popularity the scientific community has become interested in populism, producing diverse research data on its causes and consequences. Inspired by previous research we aim to build a social psychological approach on defining populism.

In this study populism is approached as a mobilising communication. We examine how the populist message attracts its supporters by evoking images and emotions and building identities. The phenomenon will be studied in four European countries: Finland, Switzerland, France and Greece.  We will study the formation and spread of populistic rhetoric in hybrid media and how it’s received by citizens – particularly how it is structured in dialogue between populist supporters and opponents and how it polarises the discussion and exchange of thoughts in the society. The project utilises a variety of materials: interviews, news, video, blogs and online discussions from a variety of traditional and social media platforms.

Previous research in social sciences has revealed several contents and styles that unites populist communication. This study aims to increase understanding about the attraction of the populism, i.e. how a populist message appeals and mobilises supporters and opponents. Drawing on three social psychological constructs and research traditions this project aims to build a social psychological theory into the study of the appeal and mobilisation of populism. The focus is on populist images, emotions and identities.

The consist of three subprojects:

  1. The first study examines with in-depth interviews how citizens think about the appeal of populism. We interview both populist voters and anti-populist voters. Through interviews participants get the opportunity to tell in their own words about the reasons of why they have voted or decided not to vote the populist parties.
  2. The second study explores the dynamics between populist politicians, the media and the citizens. For example, the speeches of populist leaders and how the public receives a populist message through the traditional and the social media will be examined.
  3. The third substudy focuses on the material produced by populist parties, such as the rhetoric of electoin campaigns and how the populist message is received by the people.

The project utilises a variety of materials: interviews, news, video, blogs and online discussions from a variety of traditional and social media platforms. Materials will be collected in four countries, Finland, Greece, Switzerland and France.