Unemployment, Immigration, and Populism

 This paper examines how unemployment and cultural anxiety have triggered differ-ent dimensions of the current populism in the United States. Specifically, I exploitthe Great Recession (GR) and the 2014 Northern Triangle immigrant influx (IM)to investigate the effects of recent unemployment and unauthorized immigration onattitudes related to populism. I find that recent unemployment during GR, ratherthan existing unemployment from before GR, increased the probability of attitudesagainst wealthy elites by 15 percentage points (PP). Such attitudes are connectedwith left-wing populism. I identify perceived economic unfairness as a mechanismthrough which recent unemployment drove left-wing populism. However, culturalanxiety rather than economic distress more likely led to the over 10 PP rise in theprobability of anti-immigration attitudes during IM. These attitudes are related toright-wing populism. This study intentionally links distinct economic and culturaldriving forces, respectively, to different types of populism, while still accountingfor their potential interaction effects. This strategy facilitates disentangling theeconomic and cultural triggers of the currently surging populism.