The Digital Sphere as a Space for Populist Mobilization: A Comparative Study

The dynamics of participation and representation in contemporary European societies are marked by the emergence of populist actors for whom the digital sphere is a key space for political mobilization. Although we know that the impact of populism on political engagement is not static but varies depending on the available avenues for political action (Anduiza, Guinjoan, and Rico, 2019; Pirro and Portos, 2020), there are still no comparative studies that allow us to understand the relationship between populist attitudes and engagement in digital political activities. Are citizens displaying populist attitudes more inclined to engage in digital modes of political participation? What types of digital political participation activities are more common among citizens with populist attitudes? There is a relationship between patterns of digital participation and electoral behavior in favor of populist parties? Using data from a survey conducted in 7 European countries after 2024 European Elections, we explore the interplay between populism and patterns of digital participation, their different impacts on voting decisions, and how these effects vary depending on the country or the presence of different types of populist parties.