Some of the findings of my research on populism are:

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• Campaigns of populist candidates are substantially more negative and contain much more character attacks than campaigns of non-populist candidates (ref)

• Support for far-right parties is stronger for voters that live in proximity to mosques with minarets (ref)

• Populists score lower on agreeableness, emotional stability and conscientiousness than mainstream candidates (ref)

• Populists score higher on extraversion, narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism than mainstream candidates (ref)

• Donald Trump has an "off-the-charts" personality profile: very high extraversion and Dark Triad traits (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism), and very low agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability (ref)(ref)(ref)

• The use of populist appeals (people-centrism, anti-elitism, ..) help driving a greater media coverage (ref)

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Publications

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Gravelle, T. B., Medeiros, M., Nai, A. (2021). In the Shadow of the Tower: Spatial proximity to mosques, visible diversity, and support for the radical right. Political Geography. doi: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102499

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Gerstlé, J., & Nai, A. (2019). Negativity, emotionality and populist rhetoric in election campaigns worldwide, and their effects on media attention and electoral success. European Journal of Communication, 34(4) 410–444.

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Nai, A., and Martinez i Coma, F. (2019). The personality of populists: Provocateurs, charismatic leaders, or drunken dinner guests? West European Politics, 42(7), 1337-1367.

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Nai, A., Martinez i Coma, F., and Maier, J. (2018). Donald Trump, populism, and the age of extremes: Comparing the personality traits and campaigning style of Trump and other leaders worldwide. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 49(3), 609–643.

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 Nai, A. (2018). Disagreeable narcissists, extroverted psychopaths, and elections: A new dataset to measure the personality of candidates worldwide. European Political Science, 18(2), 309–334.

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Nai, A. (2018). Fear and loathing in populist campaigns? Comparing the communication style of populists and non-populists in elections worldwide. Journal of Political Marketing. doi: 10.1080/15377857.2018.1491439