When Crisis Unfolds: Relative Deprivation and Populist Attitudes in Hungary

The demand side of populism has been in the scope of social scientists since the early 2010s. Since then, ample scholarly evidence has suggested that populist attitudes are strongly tied to the feeling of relative deprivation. Our study’s focal point revolves around the above findings and focuses on Hungary, a country where populism flourishes. This study analyses the possible connections between the populist attitudes of Hungarian citizens and their feelings of relative deprivation using a representative sample (n = 994). Regression analyses revealed that relative deprivation is a significant predictor of populist attitudes in Hungary regardless of age, sex, and education.