Populism and Psychological Involvement in the 2020 US Presidential Election

ABSTRACT In recent election cycles, especially during the 2020 US presidential election cycle, individuals displayed a renewed and heightened sense of civic, social, and political involvement. Voter turnout was high in the 2020 presidential election, the highest for any other presidential election since 1900. I submit that the psychological influences of populism and psychological involvement foster this high turnout. Using the 2020 American National Election Study, this article examines their influences on political behavior. It places greater focus on populism because scholars of American elections rarely test it as an individual‐level force in presidential elections and because scholars do not examine it with psychological involvement simultaneously. I find that populism and psychological involvement are distinct concepts, both boost voter turnout, and they shape vote choice and candidate affect. Related Articles Aguado, N. A. 2022. “When Charismatic Leadership Trumps Social Networking: Searching for the Effects of Social Media on Beliefs of Electoral Legitimacy.” Politics & Policy 50, no. 5: 942–951. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12494 Craig, S. C., and J. Gainous. 2024. “To Vote or Not to Vote? Fake News, Voter Fraud, and Support for Postponing the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.” Politics & Policy 52, no. 1: 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12577 Deegan‐Krause, K., and T. Haughton. 2009. “Toward a More Useful Conceptualization of Populism: Types and Degrees of Populist Appeals in the Case of Slovakia.” Politics & Policy 37, no. 4: 821–841. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00200.x