Researching Young People and Far-Right Populism

This paper considers the challenges facing qualitative researchers who study far-right populism and youth. First, there is the question of the method itself. Across the relevant literature, it seems more popular to use online methodologies rather than conduct face-to-face interviews. This is not surprising given the difficulties of talking face-to-face with a specific cohort of young people who are often suspicious of outsiders and who may even pose a personal security risk to the interviewer. Second, the age, gender, and institutional status of a researcher may constitute an obstacle to the effectiveness of a face-to-face interview. Common features of far-right populism are mistrust of elites and misogyny. Moreover, the online world of youth today is a dynamic technological sphere that may be hard to grasp for someone from a previous generation. This paper is a reflective essay that uses examples of research in action. It aims to invite reader reflection on attuning research approaches to the lived experiences of youth drawn to far-right populism