Sharp Culture, Blurred Economy: Activists perceptions of populist radical right positions

The academic literature tells us that populist radical right (PRR) parties in Western democracies have clear positions on socio-cultural issues and rather blurry ones on economic issues. But most literature has only focused at the level of supply (what the party say/want), and we know little about the perceptions of PRR activists. Whereas supporters generally tend to favour clear socio-cultural party positions over economic once, the voice of these activists on how they perceive their own PRR party’s economic and socio-cultural positions remains understudied. We currently lack thorough, nuanced and extensive evaluations from inside the parties themselves. For our analysis of PRRP activists’ perception of their supported party’s positioning in terms of economic policies, we talked to around 75 members from the Italian League (Lega), the Finn’s Party (PS), and the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP). With this paper, we aim to offer direct and comparative accounts from party members who shared information on how they see their party. Their statements provide relevant insights into the parties inner functioning, the individual and shared views of their positions, and their representative role in Western democracies. As such we are more interested in the direct perception of the parties’ positions and what it means for the supporters’ representation of their interests instead of linking the supply side with specific demands by voters.