Populism in Europe

Building on The New Face of Digital Populism, Demos is publishing a series of country-specific reports on the growth of populism in Europe.

Nationalist populist parties and movements are now a force to be reckoned with in many Western European countries.  These groups are known for their opposition to immigration, their ‘anti-establishment’ views and their concern for protecting national culture. Their rise in popularity has gone hand-in-hand with the advent of social media, and they are adept at using new technology to amplify their message, recruit and organise. This mélange of virtual and real political activity is the way millions of people — especially young people — relate to politics in the 21st century. 

In November 2011, Demos released The New Face of Digital Populism, the first ever survey of online fans of these parties and groups, based on over 10,000 survey responses from 12 countries. It included data on who they are, what they think and what motivates them to shift from virtual to real-world activism. It also provided new insight into how populism — and politics and political engagement more generally — is changing as a result of social media.

Demos will release a series of briefing papers on each country surveyed for this research, setting out results for each group and examining the prospects of growth for these parties. Jamie Bartlett and Jonathan Birdwell will be releasing each paper both in the UK and the relevant country in a series of public events.

UPCOMING REPORTS

As part of Demos' series of reports on the way new political movements are using social media, the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media will shortly be releasing a new report on the supporters of Beppe Grillo's Movimento 5 Stelle.
 
Running on an aggressively anti-establishment, anti-austerity platform and making use of social media to connect with the public, Grillo has gone from comedic blogger to major political force in Italy: the party now polls between 10 – 20 per cent of the national vote and holds a number of mayoral offices. The Movimento signals a new type of dynamic, agile, networked political movement which disrupts traditional forms of political partoes and engagement.
 
The work is based on a survey of 2,000 Facebook supporters of Beppe Grillo, and sets out who they are, what their social and political concerns are, and what they think about democracy in Italy and Europe.

 

For more details contact Jamie Bartlett and Jonathan Birdwell.

For media requests get in touch with Ralph Scott.