Populism as a Problem of Social Integration

TLDR

Support for radical right and left parties can be understood as a problem of social integration, combining economic and cultural explanations for populism. The study aims to determine whether support for radical parties is linked to feelings of social marginalization. Using comparative survey data, the authors examine this association. They find that individuals who feel socially marginalized—due to weak attachment to the normative order, low social engagement, or lack of social respect—are more likely to abandon mainstream politics and support radical parties, and that economic and cultural changes affecting social status are associated with increased marginalization, especially among low‑income or low‑education groups.

Abstract

We argue that support for parties of the radical right and left can usefully be understood as a problem of social integration—an approach that brings together economic and cultural explanations for populism. With comparative survey data, we assess whether support for parties of the radical right and left is associated with feelings of social marginalization. We find that people who feel more socially marginal—because they lack strong attachment to the normative order, social engagement, or a sense of social respect—are more likely to be alienated from mainstream politics and to support radical parties. We also find an association between indicators for recent economic and cultural developments often said to affect social status and feelings of social marginalization, especially among people with low incomes or educational attainment. We conclude that problems of social integration and subjective social status deserve more attention from scholars of comparative political behavior.