Governance Nostalgia and Anti-establishment Attitudes in America

• In Event: Anti-establishment, Populist, and Conspiratorial Attitudes

Abstract

From Donald Trump’s 'Make America Great Again' to constitutional sheriffs campaigning on restoring local power, nostalgia features prominently throughout American politics. Globally, nostalgia is associated with right-wing, populist movements. However, Democratic Candidate John Kerry’s “Let America be America Again” campaign slogan suggests a more complex relationship with ideology and partisan identity. This study introduces and validates a measure of governance nostalgia, which reflects citizens’ longing to regain their perceived historical influence over government processes and outcomes. Preliminary data from a pilot survey in September 2023, with a national rollout set for February 2024 (n=3000), suggests that governance nostalgia correlates with increased support for outsider candidates, anti-establishment views, and reported support for political violence. Importantly, both nostalgic conservatives and liberals express heightened anti-institutional sentiments. These results support emerging evidence that anti-establishment orientation represents a distinct aspect of mass opinion—separate from partisan identity and affective orientation.

Author

• Elliott Finn, University of California at Santa Barbara