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Did COVID-19 Boost Populism? Evidence from Early Superspreader Events

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  • Lall, Ranjit

    (University of Oxford)

  • Davidson, Thomas
  • Hagemeister, Felix

Abstract

We study whether right-wing populists benefited from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploiting variation in COVID-19 incidence stemming from the idiosyncratic timing of superspreader events in early 2020, we find a spike in online engagement with populists in European regions with higher infection rates. We document a similar boost in populist support in French municipal elections as well as individual-level British and Dutch survey data. Declining institutional trust, intensifying outgroup hostility, and opposition to government restrictions, these varied sources suggest, fueled the populist surge. The findings broaden our understanding of the types of societal shocks that foster extreme politics.

Suggested Citation

  • Lall, Ranjit & Davidson, Thomas & Hagemeister, Felix, 2023. "Did COVID-19 Boost Populism? Evidence from Early Superspreader Events," OSF Preprints 7xqkz, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:7xqkz
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/7xqkz
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