Media cues and citizen support for right-wing populist parties

Right-wing populist parties are thriving across Europe. Usual explanations for the success of these parties are based on notions related to economics, national identity or cultural alienation. Some authors, however, have shown that the mass media also play a significant role. Whereas these studies provide evidence drawing on macro-level data resources and/or qualitative accounts, there is little systematic evidence about how mass media coverage may affect support for the populist right on the level of the individual voter. The current study adds to the existing literature on media and political populism by 1) its individual-level focus, 2) the use of an experimental design employing multiple cues: an immigration cue, an anti-politics cue and a party cue, and 3) by drawing on explicit and implicit data for party support. We find effects of certain cues on both implicit and explicit support for far right parties, moderated by political knowledge.