Loneliness is positively associated with populist radical right support

Abstract

Objectives

The mental and physical health consequences of loneliness are well documented. However, loneliness's socio-political ramifications have been largely unexplored. We theorize that loneliness, due to its physiologically dysregulating impact on the nervous system, facilitates greater susceptibility towards populist radical right parties.

Methods

We tested our hypothesis in 25 unique tests in four population-based samples (N = 40852), spanning nine countries - the Netherlands (15 tests, 2008–2023), Germany (two samples; 2017, 2018), Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Sweden, and Switzerland (all in 2017). Logistic regressions were run per year and per country. Two internal meta-analyses were run, the first for the Dutch sample and the second for the cross country dataset.

Results

In the Netherlands, lonelier individuals were more likely to support the populist radical right across 15 tests spanning 15 years of data, with 11 tests reaching statistical significance - odds ratios ranging from 1.1 to 1.38. For the cross country analysis, Denmark reached statistical significance (OR = 1.2, 90% CI = 1.01, 1.42). Due to smaller sample sizes however, the cross country tests were underpowered to reliably detect small effects.

Conclusions

Loneliness is positively associated with support for the populist radical right in the Netherlands. The effect sizes are comparable to common health correlates of loneliness - high blood pressure, heart diseases, and depression – emphasizing their socio-political relevance. Going forward, well-powered cross-national replications are needed.