Populism’s Many Faces: Understanding Its Role in Climate Skepticism Cross-Nationally

• In Event: 30421 - Section on Global and Transnational Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 9. Parties, Populism, and Protest

Abstract

Drawing upon cross-national data collected by the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) across 26 nations and over 28,000 individuals, this study explores the association between climate skepticism and populism, in its many forms. Distinguishing between populism’s various ideological dimensions and mechanisms of influence, we find that right-wing and pure forms of populism are linked to greater skepticism, and left-wing populism to lower skepticism. Crucially, the impact of populism occurs both at the party level (supply-side) and individual level (demand-side), indicating support for theories anticipation both top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of populist influence. Moreover, when combined with globalization, the link between individual RWP and climate skepticism is further exacerbated. These insights advance ongoing debates by showing that populism is not inherently exclusionary or right-wing, and its diverse forms warrant further exploration. Future research should expand data collection on ideological variations and investigate how populist dynamics intersect with globalization to shape climate attitudes and policy responses.

Authors

• jerrid carter, University of Pittsburgh

• Elizabeth Henry, University of Pittsburgh

• Jessica Kim, University of Pittsburgh

• Yasemin Soysal, Berlin Social Science Center, WZB