Authoritarianism, Social Threat, and Support for Right-Wing Populism - Professor Stanley Feldman

Crisis in Communication: La Trobe University

Episode 1

Popular support for right-wing populist leaders and parties has been growing in countries around the world.

There are several common features to these parties: Opposition to immigration, punitive crime policies, hostility toward the LGBTQ community, intolerance of dissent, and nationalism. Where does support for these policies come from?

Professor Stanley Feldman discusses his latest research into the factors and forces fuelling populist and authoritarian mobilisations across the globe.

Stanley Feldman is Professor of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences,Stony Brook University, and a current Visiting Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

His work focuses on the origins of political preferences, with interests in the structure of political ideology and values, the role of emotions in politics, and the psychological bases of attitudes and opinions.

His work has examined the impact of personality on political attitudes, the nature of authoritarianism, prejudice, and emotional and political reactions to terrorism. He is currently working on projects to better understand the nature of ideology and the effects of empathy on political attitudes.

His most recent publication is ‘Going to War in Iraq: When Citizens and the Press Matter’.