Cited by 104Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Media and PoliticsMisinformation and Its Impacts

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Stuck in a Nativist Spiral: Content, Selection, and Effects of Right-Wing Populists’ Communication on Facebook

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Heiss, Raffael, Matthes, Jörg·2020·Political Communication

DOI 10.1080/10584609.2019.1661890

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Abstract

Although social media have become important venues for right-wing populist (RWP) campaigns, the content, selection, and effects of RWP messages on social media remain largely unknown. Using content and panel analysis in two studies, we investigated the potential reciprocal relationship between RWP communication on social media and citizens’ anti-immigrant attitudes, anti-elitist attitudes, and feelings of anger and anxiety. In Study 1, we analyzed 13,358 Facebook posts from German and Austrian political parties and their leading candidates. Among our results, RWP actors conveyed anti-immigrant and anti-elitist messages more often than non-RWP actors, and anti-immigrant messages especially induced negative emotional responses among followers of RWP actors. In Study 2, our analysis of data from a two-wave panel study with 559 respondents revealed that anti-immigrant attitudes drove selective exposure to RWP content on Facebook, which consequently fueled anti-immigrant attitudes, and that selective exposure to such content increased individuals’ anti-elitist attitudes and anxiety.

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List of Figures
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List of Tables
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Preface
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Copyright Page
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Authors: Heiss, R., & Matthes, J.
Affiliations: Management Center Innsbruck (AT)
University of Vienna (AT)
Corresponding author: Matthes, Jörg
ORCID: Heiss, Raffael
Matthes, Jörg
Venue: Political Communication
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2019-10-17
Volume: 37
Issue: 3
Pages: 303-328
ISSN: 1058-4609 (ISSN-L)
1091-7675
DOI: 10.1080/10584609.2019.1661890
OpenAlex: W2980634472
Cited by: 104
References: 55
Citations by year: 2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 12
FWCI: 65.57
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: hybrid
doi.org
Licence: cc-by-nc-nd
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (vor)
Locations: Political Communication (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Phaidra (Universität Wien) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics: Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Populism, Right-Wing Movements
Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
Keywords: right-wing populism, Facebook posts, anti-immigrant sentiment, selective exposure, nativism, political parties, political candidates, anger, anxiety, social media

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Stuck in a Nativist Spiral: Content, Selection, and Effects of Right-Wing Populists’ Communication on Facebook

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