Half of British people hold ‘authoritarian populist’ views, poll shows

There have been jokes that Trump’s victory in the US has, er, trumped, the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Trump has taken the limelight, leaving Brits feeling a little bit smug.

But we shouldn’t be celebrating so soon. A survey by YouGov has found that up to 48% of Britons have authoritarian populist (AP) views associated with Trump’s political ideologies, as well as Nigel Farage in the UK. YouGov defines AP as:

Cynicism over human rights, anti-immigration, an anti-EU position in Britain, and favouring a strong emphasis on defence as part of wider foreign policy

YouGov’s findings, titled, ‘Trump, Brexit, Front National, AfD: branches of the same tree’, found that Britain ranks seventh worstfor authoritarian populism, behind countries including France and Poland.

YouGov broke it down by age groups and found that the majority of people holding these views are aged 60 and over.

And 97% of UKIP voters hold AP views, compared to 68% of Conservative voters and 25% of Labour voters.

YouGov warns:

The results may well be cause for concern for politicians in mainstream established parties across the continent

Gulp.

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