Has populism gone science-skeptic? Analyzing the ideology and mobilization strategy of the Querdenken anti-lockdown movement

Crises can erupt into resentment and fuel discontent with the political system, which occasionally manifests itself in the emergence of new movements, as exemplified by the Querdenken (i.e., Lateral Thinking) anti-lockdown movement that emerged in Germany and Austria, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since such movements lack the degree of organization of political parties and do not contest elections, protest research has predominantly been concerned with what drives their supporters (demand side), and how elites respond to the emergence of new issues and actors (supply side), while little attention has been paid to the role of ideological beliefs, populism and ideas about democratic representation, as conditions of their success. Investigating these factors in the context of the Querdenken movement is particularly fruitful, given its surprising persistence after the disappearence of its core issue (COVID-19 containment measures). To fill this research gap, this paper draws on a large corpus of political texts the movement has published since April 2020, comprising a manifesto, social media postings, and, crucially, a weekly political magazine (Demokratischer Widerstand). The latter provides an ideal basis for time series analyses of continuities and change in the movement’s ideology and language over time. We draw on qualitative and quantitative content analysis to examine the role of (a) radicalism and host ideologies; (b) populist, (anti-)technocratic beliefs and beliefs that pertain to notions of democratic representation; as well as (c) conspiracy beliefs and emotional appeals to their sympathizers for the movement’s continued success. By doing so, this paper contributes to our understanding of the core factors driving the success of movements that take aim at democratic institutions, which is crucial for policymakers and political actors addressing them.