Former Associate Director, Research
Katie Simmons is a former associate director of research at Pew Research Center.
Regardless of populist sentiments, people in Western Europe tend to favor parties that reflect their own ideological orientation. With regard to policy, too, ideology continues to matter.
People with populist views in Western Europe are more likely than those with mainstream views to distrust traditional institutions. While populist attitudes span the ideological spectrum in Western Europe, populist political parties are relatively unpopular in the region.
Regardless of populist sentiments, people in Western Europe tend to favor parties that reflect their own ideological orientation. With regard to policy, too, ideology continues to matter.
Across eight Western European countries, people with populist leanings have more negative attitudes about the news media than do those with non-populist views.
A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.
Surveys of foreign policy experts and the general public reveal a division between these two groups over the role of the people’s voice in governing, as well as on the consequences of Trump’s presidency.
Across the world, a median of 78% say representative democracy is a good way to govern their country. Yet, pro-democracy views coexist with openness to nondemocratic forms of governance.
Many people in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are concerned about their countries’ political and economic systems. Yet, there is considerable optimism about the future.
The refugee crisis and the threat of terrorism are very much related in the minds of many Europeans. Across the EU there are also sharp ideological divides on views about minorities, diversity and national identity.
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