Do People Idealize the People? Questioning the Notion of People in Studies on Populist Demand. Analysis of the French Case

Abstract

According to the literature, populism, understood as a binary discourse that opposes the people to the elite, is present in societies in the form of latent political attitudes. The discursive structure consists of two poles. One negative, the anti-oligarchic dimension, and another positive, the idealization of the people. The absence of one of these properties would place us outside the populist discourse. Most of the available survey studies show that populism is widespread in many societies, which means that both discursive conditions are met. The aim of this research is to test whether this is really the case. Specifically, to inquire if the people have a laudatory discourse towards the people, the sacrosanct condition of populism. For this, the French case is analyzed using a qualitative strategy based on 9 focus groups. The results reveal that, far from having a certain faith in the people, people are suspicious of the moral and epistemic capacities of citizens. Paradoxically, greater political participation is desired, mainly via referendum, a privileged instrument of populist political offers. With this, they are demanding channels so that their demands are met, so that the democratic ideal of political equality is ultimately fulfilled. The findings of this study invite a critical review of well-established assumptions and prior knowledge regarding how to study populist demand.
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