POLS PVES Seminars Series

Crisis concerns and anti-establishment attitudes: A comparative analysis
Ugur Sumbul (post-doc, University of Milan)

Chair
Alessandro Pellegata - University of Milan

Discussant
Cristiano Vezzoni (University of Milan, spsTREND Lab)
Jessica Rosco - University of Milan and University of Lausanne 

9 June 2025, h. 14:30-16.30
Seminar Room (Conservatorio)
Department of Social and Political Sciences
University of Milan
Via Conservatorio, 7 - Milan
& online

This paper examines the relationship between crisis concerns and conspiracy-related and populist attitudes, considered as different facets of anti-establishment attitudes. Recent academic research has highlighted feelings arising from crisis situations, like fear, uncertainty, and a sense of loss of control, that may make people more inclined towards conspiracy beliefs and populist attitudes, as both offer simple explanations to more complex problems. However, so far, the concept of crisis has been treated in a uniform manner in the majority of those studies, whether related to Covid-19, the economy, or migration, overlooking the distinct effects that different crises might invoke on individuals. This study aims to refine our understanding of crisis concerns by differentiating and analysing them across five domains, i.e., Covid-19, the climate crisis, the immigration emergency, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the energy crisis, to figure out their distinctive effects on three facets of anti-establishment attitudes. Our findings, based on cross-country survey data from seven European countries, suggest variations in respondents’ perceptions of distinct crises as well as differences in their relationships with conspiracism and populism. In this way, the paper contributes to the literature by offering a more nuanced analysis of crisis concerns, highlighting the need for tailored analyses to understand crises and their potential impacts on anti-establishment attitudes such as conspiracism and populism.

This seminar is part of the POLS Parties, Voters, and Elections Seminar Series (PVES)

Organizing Committee: Cristiano Vezzoni, Allessandro Pellegata, Jessica Rosco
For an overview of the PhD Political Studies Seminar Series, click HERE
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