Populism and Electoral Behavior in Latin America: The psychological roots of Latin America's populist support

Despite the influence of populism in Latin American politics and democracy, we know very little about the individual characteristics of those who support it. Much of the late investigations on populism point to the fundamental role of latent structures, such as emotions or attitudes, in explaining this phenomenon. The main objective of this research is to present evidence on the psychological microfoundations of Latin American contemporary populism. Using data from the 2010 round of the Americas Barometer, I compare the personality traits of voters of four Latin American Left-Wing Populist Parties (LWPP) from Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The results suggest that the psychological roots of Latin America's populist support are complex. Left-wing populist voters in that region are mainly dissatisfied with the political system. They support economic justice and embrace altruistic traits. At the same time, they hold conservative and dogmatic values.