ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how to define the core characteristics of populism in the Netherlands. Concerning the empirical works, a great variety of methods have been employed to study populism in the Netherlands. The categorization of the Freedom Party is based on theoretical observations, on empirical studies analyzing party manifestos and media appearances and on comparative research. Systematic research on Dutch populist actors as communicators reveals that the communication style of populist leaders in the Netherlands is different from mainstream politicians. Demand-side studies on populism provide more insights into the motives and backgrounds of citizens who vote for populist political parties. A first motive that is frequently mentioned in the extant literature is citizen's political discontent. Citizens are attracted to populist messages for a variety of reasons. Citizens who are confronted with immigrants in their daily lives are argued to be more susceptible to persuasion by populist communication.
