Rural Populism and Tolerance for Political Violence in the American West

This study investigates the relationship between political grievance, populist attitudes, and tolerance for political violence in the rural American West. Using a unique, representative sample from rural counties across eleven western U.S. states, we address the conceptual ambiguity in populism studies and the empirical challenges of measuring social phenomena in rural areas. Employing structural equation modeling, we test hypotheses regarding the links between economic and sociocultural grievances, ideological conservatism, populist attitudes, and tolerance for political violence. Our findings confirm significant associations between economic grievances, conservatism, and populist attitudes. Contrary to prior literature, we find that in rural counties populist attitudes are associated with reduced tolerance for political violence and significantly attenuate its association with economic grievance. Our study reveals an unexpected ideological role of populist attitudes in the rural American West, challenging the prevailing sociological understanding of the universal expression of populism across national contexts.