Research shows support for populist politics ‘collapsed’ during the pandemic but satisfaction with democracy also continued to falter, with citizens increasingly favouring technocratic sources of authority, such as having “non-political” experts take decisions.
A third flagship report by the Centre for the Future of Democracy says there are clear signs that the so-called “populist wave” — which saw radical and anti-establishment leaders, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, rise to power — could be diminishing. The study is based on a mega-dataset survey of more than half a million participants’ political attitudes since 2020 across 109 countries.
The pandemic has brought good and bad news for liberal democracy. On the upside, we see a decline in populism and a restoration of trust in government. On the downside, some illiberal attitudes are increasing, and satisfaction with democracy remains very low.”
Dr Roberto Foa, Co-Director of the Centre for the Future of Democracy, University of Cambridge
Media coverage
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- Read news article: Support for populist politics ‘collapsed’ during the pandemic – global report
- Read report and watch video: The Great Reset: Public Opinion, Populism, and the Pandemic
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.
