Populism among European youth: need for cognitive closure, social cynicism, meritocracy, and the dynamics of right- and left-wing authoritarianism

Abstract Populist ideology has attracted growing attention in political psychology, particularly concerning its cognitive antecedents. This study examines the relationship between Need for Closure (NFC) and the endorsement of populist ideology among young Europeans, focusing on Italian and Romanian participants. We propose a mediated model in which NFC predicts populist attitudes through Social Cynicism (SC) and Reward for Application (RA), with further mediation by Left-Wing (LWA) and Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). 599 young adults from Italy and Romania (N Italy = 325; N Romania = 274; Age range: 18–30) completed validated psychological scales measuring NFC, SC, RA, LWA, RWA, and populist ideology. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test both direct and indirect pathways across the two national samples. Results indicate that NFC is indirectly associated with populist ideology through SC and RA. Additionally, LWA — but not RWA — partially mediates this relationship, suggesting that NFC may be associated with more rigid ideological beliefs that align with left-wing populist rhetoric. Cross-country comparisons reveal significant differences between Italy and Romania, highlighting how national contexts are associated with differences in the psychological correlates of populist attitudes. The findings suggest that political discontent among youth is not always expressed through traditional ideological channels but may instead take more radical and morally rigid forms that resonate with populist rhetoric. Implications for educational and civic interventions targeting youth populism are discussed.