Supporting and rejecting the populist radical right: Evidence from contemporary Chile

Abstract

Although the populist radical right (PRR) has become a global phenomenon, most studies of it focus on Europe. Moreover, extant research has centred on analysing those who support rather than reject the PRR. To address this twofold research gap, we rely on novel public opinion data to examine those who both ‘love’ and ‘hate’ the PRR in contemporary Chile. We demonstrate not only that those in favour of the Chilean PRR are a homogeneous constituency with similar characteristics to their European brethren (e.g., xenophobic attitudes) but also that those at odds with the Chilean PRR make up a relatively large and heterogeneous constituency. In summary, this contribution seeks to broaden comparative studies on the PRR and to show the relevance of studying support as well as rejection of the PRR, particularly in countries with runoff elections; since then, large segments of the electorate vote for the lesser evil.