Stable Personalities, Shifting Loyalties: The Activating Role of Cultural Threats in Populist Radical Right Support

Who supports populist radical right parties? And under what circumstances? A longstanding argument in political psychology suggests that populist radical right support is deeply rooted within one’s personality. Yet, while this model assumes an effect of stable personality traits, populist radical right support tends to fluctuate. This study addresses this inconsistency and examines to what extent the link between personality and populist radical right support depends on cultural threats as induced by negative contact with non-natives. Using two-wave German panel data, we find no evidence that increased negative contact strengthens the personality–populist radical right link. However, our findings reveal two nuanced yet tentative patterns. First, initial exposure to negative contact may increase populist radical right support among those low in Agreeableness/Openness. Second, when the outgroup is framed as “foreigners,” increased negative contact may strengthen the role of personality, but not when defined as “Muslims” or “refugees.” These findings bear important implications for our psychological understanding of populist radical right support.