Can education mitigate the rise of populism and the far right? The role of schooling and educational experiences in the construction of democracy
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Today’s democratic systems face several challenges – populism, polarisation and de-democratisation – threatening their functioning and vitality. These dangers underline the need to reflect on the importance of education, mainly in formal educational contexts, in mitigating the spread of antidemocratic, populist and exclusionary positions. Data from a surveyed sample of 1047 young adults (aged 18-30) show that educational attainment and experiences of a democratic educational climate play a fundamental role in developing more democratic, inclusive and pluralistic attitudes. Concretely, those two educational variables hold a significant ideological role: lower levels of educational attainment are associated with more right-wing ideological positions and extreme right-wing young adults report less democratic university experiences. Additionally, the results show that more democratic university experiences mediate the relationship between democratic support and greater trust in political institutions. Likewise, such experiences mitigate the role of populist attitudes in institutional distrust. Therefore, it is essential to discuss the democratic and political role of schools and universities from a contextual and processual perspective.
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