Do Populists Listen to Expertise? A Five-Country Study of Authority, Arguments, and Expert Sources

Bibliographic Data

ID6344853
AuthorsAdam Peresman (0000-0002-9864-4263, Aarhus University), Lars Thorup Larsen (0000-0003-4100-5425, Aarhus University), Honorata Mazepus (0000-0002-5005-9399, Leiden University), Michael Bang Petersen (0000-0002-6782-5635, Aarhus University)
Year2025
Publication date2025-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00323217251323402
OpenAlexW4408479363
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited47

Across diverse policy domains, there is broad concern about whether trust in science and expertise has eroded during the past decade. Using quota-based surveys with over 7,500 respondents across five countries and preregistered vignette experiments, we investigate what persuades populists and non-populists to accept expert advice. We find first that populism is associated with less willingness to accept expert advice, yet with variation between countries and topics. Second, we find both populists and non-populists are similarly impacted by stronger arguments. Finally, we show that populists are more likely to judge advice as poorly reasoned and perceive it as politically biased. A mediation analysis showed that the relationship between populism and advice acceptance was nearly completely mediated by these judgments. Our study indicates that populists not only listen to expertise but also respond to the same qualities of expert advice as others, even if their skepticism is higher

Advertising · Business · Political science · Public relations · Media Influence and Politics · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Social Media and Politics

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