Research note: Office participation and the dissipating populism-distrust connection

Matthijs Rooduijn; Jaap van Slageren

doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2022.102488

Research note: Office participation and the dissipating populism-distrust connection

Matthijs Rooduijn
, Jaap van Slageren

Dynamics of Innovation Systems

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that the correlation between political distrust and support for populist and radical parties dissipates when these parties are in office or have office experience. In this research note we argue and demonstrate that it is not so much office experience that matters, but actually being in office. Moreover, we show that the populism-distrust connection (1) exists before populists enter a government coalition; (2) dissipates during their time in office; and (3) can resurface after they have left office again. Finally, we show that the ‘dissipation effect’ exists among all types of populist parties (also those that are not radical left or right), but not among other non-mainstream parties like, for instance, green or regionalist parties. These are important findings because they suggest that this effect is only temporary, and, at least partly, due to parties' populist messages.

Original language	English
Article number	102488
Pages (from-to)	1-7
Number of pages	7
Journal	Electoral Studies
Volume	78
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2022.102488
Publication status	Published - Aug 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We have presented previous versions of this paper at the Political Communication Research Group of the University of Vienna, the Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University, the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich, the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations at Utrecht University, the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University, and the Institute of Political Science at the University of Münster. We would like to thank all participants for their valuable feedback.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

Keywords

Populism
Political (dis)trust
Voting behavior

Access to Document

10.1016/j.electstud.2022.102488

1-s2.0-S0261379422000488-mainFinal published version, 2.95 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

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title = "Research note: Office participation and the dissipating populism-distrust connection",

abstract = "Recent studies have shown that the correlation between political distrust and support for populist and radical parties dissipates when these parties are in office or have office experience. In this research note we argue and demonstrate that it is not so much office experience that matters, but actually being in office. Moreover, we show that the populism-distrust connection (1) exists before populists enter a government coalition; (2) dissipates during their time in office; and (3) can resurface after they have left office again. Finally, we show that the {\textquoteleft}dissipation effect{\textquoteright} exists among all types of populist parties (also those that are not radical left or right), but not among other non-mainstream parties like, for instance, green or regionalist parties. These are important findings because they suggest that this effect is only temporary, and, at least partly, due to parties' populist messages.",

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author = "Matthijs Rooduijn and Slageren, \{Jaap van\}",

note = "Funding Information: We have presented previous versions of this paper at the Political Communication Research Group of the University of Vienna, the Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University, the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich, the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations at Utrecht University, the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University, and the Institute of Political Science at the University of M{\"u}nster. We would like to thank all participants for their valuable feedback. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",

year = "2022",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1016/j.electstud.2022.102488",

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N1 - Funding Information: We have presented previous versions of this paper at the Political Communication Research Group of the University of Vienna, the Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University, the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich, the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations at Utrecht University, the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University, and the Institute of Political Science at the University of Münster. We would like to thank all participants for their valuable feedback. Publisher Copyright: © 2022

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N2 - Recent studies have shown that the correlation between political distrust and support for populist and radical parties dissipates when these parties are in office or have office experience. In this research note we argue and demonstrate that it is not so much office experience that matters, but actually being in office. Moreover, we show that the populism-distrust connection (1) exists before populists enter a government coalition; (2) dissipates during their time in office; and (3) can resurface after they have left office again. Finally, we show that the ‘dissipation effect’ exists among all types of populist parties (also those that are not radical left or right), but not among other non-mainstream parties like, for instance, green or regionalist parties. These are important findings because they suggest that this effect is only temporary, and, at least partly, due to parties' populist messages.

AB - Recent studies have shown that the correlation between political distrust and support for populist and radical parties dissipates when these parties are in office or have office experience. In this research note we argue and demonstrate that it is not so much office experience that matters, but actually being in office. Moreover, we show that the populism-distrust connection (1) exists before populists enter a government coalition; (2) dissipates during their time in office; and (3) can resurface after they have left office again. Finally, we show that the ‘dissipation effect’ exists among all types of populist parties (also those that are not radical left or right), but not among other non-mainstream parties like, for instance, green or regionalist parties. These are important findings because they suggest that this effect is only temporary, and, at least partly, due to parties' populist messages.

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KW - Political (dis)trust

KW - Voting behavior

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ER -

Research note: Office participation and the dissipating populism-distrust connection

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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