Civil Society Responses to Populism in Europe: Strategies, Aims and Its Potential Effects

The growing prominence of populist parties in Europe has transformed the continent’s political landscape and presents a serious challenge to established democratic values and institutions. Analysing how various public actors engage with populist parties is crucial for understanding the resilience of democratic systems to this phenomenon and the consequences of opposition to populists. This article examines civil society responses to the development of populist parties in Europe, providing an overview of opposition strategies in seven European countries. The aim of the paper is to deepen understanding of how different responses and types of initiatives used by civil society could potentially affect populist parties. Thus, it could serve as a basis for further study of the effectiveness of civil society opposition initiatives. The article is based on research conducted by an international team that analysed opposition against nine populist parties in Europe. The study uses Angela Bourne’s (2024) classification of opposition responses to populist parties and relies on a systematic content analysis of leading daily newspapers in the countries studied.