This book presents findings from several large-scale internationally comparative empirical studies. It includes a summary of findings with advice for stakeholders like politicians, the media, and citizens about how to deal with the challenge of populist political communication.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Comprehending and investigating populist communication from a comparative perspective PART IPopulism and Communicators Chapter 2: Perceptions of Populism and the Media: A Qualitative Comparative Approach to Studying the Views of Journalists and Politicians Chapter 3: Journalists’ Perceptions of Populism and the Media: A Cross-National Study Based on Semi-Structured Interviews Chapter 4: Politicians’ Perceptions of Populism and the Media: A Cross-National Study Based on Semi-Structured Interviews PART IIPopulism in the Media Chapter 5: Dimensions, Speakers, and Targets: Basic Patterns in European Media Reporting on Populism Chapter 6: Journalistic Culture, Editorial Mission, and News Logic: Explaining the Factors Behind the Use of Populism in European Media Chapter 7: Event-, Politics-, and Audience-Driven News: A Two-Year Comparison of Populism in European Media Coverage PART IIIPopulism and Citizens Chapter 8: The Persuasiveness of Populist Communication: Conceptualizing the Effects and Political Consequences of Populist Communication from a Social Identity Perspective Chapter 9: Investigating the Effects of Populist Communication. Design and Measurement of the Comparative Experimental Study Chapter 10: Cognitive Responses to Populist Communication: The Impact of Populist Message Elements on Blame Attribution and Stereotyping Chapter 11: Attitudinal and Behavioral Responses to Populist Communication: The Impact of Populist Message Elements on Populist Attitudes and Voting Intentions PART IV Conclusion Chapter 12: Adapting to the Different Shades of Populism. Key Findings and Implications for Media, Citizens, and Politics

"This volume brings together leading scholars on populist political communication and truly demonstrates the relevance for populism as a research area within political communication research. Rarely does a volume present such rich and original comparative empirical evidence. This volume should be on the shelf of any scholar interested in populism and political communication, as it lays the foundation for future studies within this emerging research field." --Erik Knudsen, University of Bergen, Norway"The book represents an important contribution to the discussion about populism, populist politics and communication of populist messages. It addresses crucial questions about how populist messages are perceived by politicians and journalists and what effect they might have on target audiences. It is a must-read for everyone interested in studying populism." --Otto Eibl, Masaryk University, Czech Republic"If populism often (but not always) goes along with nationalism and the rejection of expertise, this is a decidedly non-populist book: based on the international collaboration of experts from all over Europe and on elaborate comparative empirical research. And it is ‘populist’ in the best sense: accessible and enlightening also to the uninitiated (while essential to everyone in the field), and with a bit of critical advice to journalistic and political elites." -- Benjamin Krämer, LMU Munich, Germany