They Caused our Crisis! The Contents and Effects of Populist Communication Evidence from the Netherlands

In recent years, a growing body of literature has pointed to the salience and persuasiveness of populism all around the globe. Despite growing interest, systematic research on the content and effects of populist communication remains scarce. In the Dutch context of highly salient and electorally successful populism, this chapter explores how populist messages are framed in media discourse and public opinion, and how such messages affect voters’ opinions. The findings in this chapter first of all indicate that populism is a rare event in traditional media, but highly salient online. Populist messages are effective: They have an impact on voting behavior, populist attitudes, and perceptions of blame. The most susceptible citizens are those who believe they belong to an in-group of vulnerable citizens that are worse off than other groups in society. Taken together, this chapter provides systematic insights into how the central elements of populist communication can affect the opinions of citizens in the midst of an era of rising populism.