When Non-Conformity Trumps Partisanship

Abigail Luke

The political campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in 2016 reflected the growing prominence of populism both in the United States and globally. This thesis seeks to explain a common psychological mechanism hypothesized to underlie populist vote choice: political non-conformity. The present study finds that populist voters are less conformist. This study also finds compelling evidence of psychological differences among populist candidate supporters and lays the foundation for future research in political non-conformity.

Major: 
Psychology and Political Science
Exhibition Category: 
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Exhibition Format: 
Poster Presentation
Campus: 
University Park
Faculty Sponsor: 
Peter Hatemi
Poster Number: 
150

Award Winner

Social and Behavioral Sciences - First Place