How Careers of Politicians affect Euroscepticism and Populism

This study develops a career-based framework to explain variation in Euroscepticism and populist attitudes among political elites. Recent recruitment patterns increasingly channel individuals into politics immediately after university, often through advisory positions in parliamentary or ministerial offices. This trend produces a growing cohort of politicians whose early socialization within party organizations and legislative settings fosters technocratic skills and close alignment with institutional environments linked to the European Union. Because this professional trajectory also exposes them to party-centered strategic communication, these politicians may combine technocratic expertise with rhetorical elements typically associated with populism. In contrast, candidates entering politics after careers in non-political professions usually experience weaker EU integration attitudes, as they carry occupational identities that shape their orientations differently and may encourage more oppositional or anti-elite styles. These divergent career paths raise several questions: How do distinct career types of politicians affect Euroscepticism? Are careerist politicians more likely to adopt a “populist technocrat” style, and how does this influence their stance toward Europe? Using comparative data from the Comparative Candidates Survey (CCS), we address these questions by linking elites’ attitudes on populism and Euroscepticism with their career backgrounds. The findings show that careerist candidates, despite exhibiting traits associated with “populist technocracy,” tend to express lower levels of Euroscepticism. From a candidate perspective, the study highlights how professionalisation shapes the expression of both Euroscepticism and populism among political elites.