Why is right wing populism less popular among university-educated men?

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Australia; SA
Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash
Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash

White university-educated men are less likely to hold right-wing populist opinions than white men with no university education in Australia and when they do, their views are less extreme, according to a small study. Australian researchers interviewed 10 university-educated and eight non-university-educated white men about their political views to try and get some early understanding of how university education shapes political views. The researchers say university-educated men were more positive about diversity if they had contact with non-white people, but this did not appear to be the case as much for non-university-educated men. The researchers also say the university participants believed their institution promoted a pluralistic outlook (the idea that different types of people and opinions within a society are good), something they say is often incompatible with right-wing populist views.

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Australian Journal of Social Issues
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Organisation/s: The University of Adelaide
Funder: The research was supported by funds from the Faculty of Arts Research Active Grants Scheme and the School of Social Sciences Research Initiative Scheme, The University of Adelaide.
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