Understanding the Populist Voter

Voters of right-wing populist parties are increasingly in favor of dismantling the welfare state in order to be able to compete with other countries. This is according to a survey of 12,000 voters in Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The right-wing populist spectrum sees the welfare state as a form of redistribution towards immigrants. Left-wing populist voters, meanwhile, are most strongly opposed to dismantling the welfare state. The views of voters of non-populist parties lie between those of the two populist groups. Despite these different perceptions of the welfare state, the three voter groups do not differ in their concerns about their current household income.