Modern American Populism

Analyzing the Economics Behind the "Silent Majority," the Tea Party, and Trumpism

Bibliographic Data

ID2804263
AuthorsWillis Patenaude (corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume78
Issue3
Pages787-834
Publication date2019-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ajes.12281
OpenAlexW2899520529
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited58

Modern American populism (MAP) was born out of the political upheaval of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The article examines the causes of populism. Economic anxiety is found to be the main cause, but there is also evidence supporting an alternative theory that racial resentment is an important driving force behind populism. The article analyzes the role of populism in the 1972 election of Richard Nixon, the Tea Party election of 2010, and the 2016 election of Donald Trump using data provided by the American National Election Studies (ANES). There is ample qualitative evidence that economic anxiety caused the populist voting patterns that elected Nixon, Tea Party candidates, and Trump. Statistical data supported the same conclusion in the 2010 and 2016 elections, but the 1972 data were inconclusive. The data show that both economic anxiety and racial resentment played a role in the 2010 and 2016 elections, but the findings suggest that economic anxiety is the underlying factor that generates both racial resentment and support for populism

Political economy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Resentment · Sociology · Tea party · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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