The relationship between populism and national identity: A scoping review

There is growing research on the relationship between populism and national identity, but findings remain conceptually and methodologically fragmented. This scoping review synthesizes quantitative evidence from 69 manuscripts (87 studies, 232 associations). Following JBI and PRISMA‐ScR guidance, we charted study characteristics and used thematic content analysis to classify populism as demand‐side (attitudes/beliefs, sentiments/evaluations, endorsement/voting) or supply‐side, and national identity as secure versus defensive forms. Evidence is concentrated in Europe (≈69% of studies) and relies mainly on cross‐sectional designs (≈75%), with fewer experimental (≈16%) and longitudinal studies (≈7%). Across operationalizations, populism shows consistent positive links with defensive national attachments (e.g., nationalism, national narcissism), especially for voting/endorsement and affective evaluations of populist actors. In contrast, associations with secure national identification (e.g., national satisfaction/pride) are mixed, often null or negative, depending on measurement and modeling choices. Overall, the findings provide a comprehensive evidence mapping that can inform future research on populism and identity.