Voices from the margins: How national narratives are linked with support for populist radical right parties

Populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have gained prominence in many Western democracies, yet the characteristics of the typical populist voter remain the subject of scholarly debate. In this article, we examine the role of boundary national stories in shaping voting patterns. We define boundary national stories as narratives that emphasize the importance of maintaining clear boundaries between "us" and "them" in national identity. Using original representative election surveys conducted in four Western democracies, we find that voters who embrace a Boundary national story are more likely to vote for PRRPs than those who do not hold such stories, and that the electoral effect of such stories is more salient for marginalized groups in society. Our findings demonstrate that, while national stories can foster cohesion, they can also drive us apart and polarize our politics. We conclude by discussing the broader implications of these findings for the study of populism in political science.