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Populism and Political Knowledge: The United States in Comparative Perspective

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  • Henry Milner

    (Chair in Electoral Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Montreal, Canada)

Abstract

This article addresses the link between political knowledge and populist attitudes in the United States (US) in comparative perspective. At the beginning of the new decade, populism in the US is associated with support for the Republican party and Donald Trump in particular, and that is how I address it here. Using secondary data from a number of related studies, we find that, overall, support for Trump is not only negatively related to political knowledge, but also to other factors that make his supporters unaware of their being misinformed. This is because, more than for others, partisan cues serve them as a basis for their factual beliefs about political actors and events and assessments of the beliefs of others. While political knowledge has long been comparatively low in the US, as I show in the early part of the article, the relationship between misinformation and populism (i.e., support for Trump) is seen as a new and especially worrisome element. In the concluding section I address what, if anything, could be done to address this situation.

Suggested Citation

  • Henry Milner, 2020. "Populism and Political Knowledge: The United States in Comparative Perspective," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(1), pages 226-238.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:226-238
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v8i1.2560
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alabrese, Eleonora & Becker, Sascha O. & Fetzer, Thiemo & Novy, Dennis, 2019. "Who voted for Brexit? Individual and regional data combined," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 132-150.
    2. Lau, Richard R. & Patel, Parina & Fahmy, Dalia F. & Kaufman, Robert R., 2014. "Correct Voting Across Thirty-Three Democracies: A Preliminary Analysis," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 239-259, April.
    3. Barber, Michael & Pope, Jeremy C., 2019. "Does Party Trump Ideology? Disentangling Party and Ideology in America," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 113(1), pages 38-54, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cristine de Clercy, 2020. "On the Intersection of Leadership and Populism in North America and Europe," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(1), pages 107-110.

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