Markus Kollberg

markuskollberg.bsky.social

16 October 2026 15:31

It took quite some time to get this paper out. We are really grateful to encouragement and feedback by @tabouchadi.bsky.social, @nicolaiberk.bsky.social, @inalkristiansen.bsky.social, @gessler.bsky.social, @heikekluever.bsky.social, Michael Jacobs, Christina Zuber, and many others...

Markus Kollberg

markuskollberg.bsky.social

16 October 2026 15:31

This matters because it suggests that citizens can contribute to democratic resilience in their everyday lives by challenging populist narratives in non-political settings.

Markus Kollberg

markuskollberg.bsky.social

16 October 2026 15:31

Finding 1: Pluralist counter-arguments work! They weaken populist-majoritarian attitudes and are evaluated positively by respondents. Finding 2: Elitist counter-arguments do not work! They do not change attitudes and some findings suggest there might be a backlash against them.

Markus Kollberg

markuskollberg.bsky.social

16 October 2026 15:31

We test the effects of these counter-arguments on respondents' (a) democratic attitudes and (b) candidate evaluations in two survey experiments in the UK. Our vignettes purposefully describe non-political settings: two neighbors meeting at the local supermarket.

Markus Kollberg

markuskollberg.bsky.social

16 October 2026 15:31

Building on the political theory of populism, we develop two counter-arguments. (1) a pluralist one arguing democracy is about balancing the interests of competing groups; (2) an elitist one arguing that elected representatives with expertise and experience should decide.