"The thesis revisits the relationship between perceptions of relative deprivation and populism. In contrast to existing literature, it is argued that emotions play a crucial role in activating populist support among people facing instances of relative deprivation. So far, research on emotions and populism has been predominantly devoted to the role of anger and fear. The thesis offers a systematic account of emotional reactions which are caused by instances of relative deprivation and which may affect populist outcomes. Appraisal theories of emotions are used to predict which emotions people facing instances of relative deprivation are likely to feel, how these emotions may affect populist outcomes, and how personality traits may affect the way people react to situations of relative deprivation. To answer the research questions, firstly, three experimental studies were conducted in the UK in 2019 and 2020. The studies test for a causal relationship between the perceptions of relative deprivation, emotions, and populism, employing three different contexts: economic injustice, cultural threat, and existential threat caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, it is tested how people with different political views may react to instances of relative deprivation. Second, data of the ESS study, Round 9 (2018-2021) is used to test whether the association between perceptions of relative deprivation and populist voting is universal among 23 European countries. Third, data of the LISSS-panel representative of the Netherlands, which was conducted before the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, is used to revisit whether concerns about COVID-19 and emotional reactions relate to preference for the populist right. In the thesis, it is shown that negative affect plays a key role in the activation of populist support among people facing instances of relative deprivation, whereas the direct effect of perceptions of relative deprivation on populism is weak to non-existent. People facing an instance of relative deprivation are likely to adopt a populist mindset due to emotional reactions only in case the message containing an instance of relative deprivation is congruent with their views. In different contexts, different emotions mediated the relationship between perceptions of relative deprivation and populist outcomes, but emotions were highly correlated and different negative emotions enhanced populist outcomes. Furthermore, different components of populist attitudes, which account for the acceptance of populist ideas, were differently affected by perceptions of relative deprivation and emotions. At the end of the thesis, a design for a subsequent study is proposed, which digs into the role of selected emotional appraisals and tests how particular personality characteristics affect these appraisals. The thesis is concluded with implications for theory, methods, policy implications, and directions for future research."
Please, find her Ph.D. here
Related published work here
Other work from Dr. Lytkina are found here
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