Abstract:

In recent times, there has been a notable surge in the prominence of populist parties and politicians across the globe. From the United States to Denmark, and from Argentina to Kyrgyzstan, populism in its various forms has increasingly permeated the political arena, solidifying its foothold. The existing literature underscores the significance of studying populist attitudes (Akkerman et al., 2014; Hawkins et al., 2012), which have not only been observed in large segments of the populations worldwide but have also been proven to guide voting behavior towards populist entities in established democracies. However, scholars of populism tend to focus on specific regions, namely Europe and the Americas, so that growing varieties of populism in other areas of the Global South remain under the radar. The goal of my research project is to explore the nature of populist attitudes and their determinants in the context of Kyrgyzstan using the survey data from the Central Asian Barometer.