When Populism Targets Europe: Anti-EU Rhetoric and User Engagement in the Visegrád Countries

Alena Pospíšil Macková, Lucie Čejková, Martina Novotná, Krisztina Burai, Paweł Baranowski and Michal Garaj
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Alena Pospíšil Macková: Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Lucie Čejková: Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Martina Novotná: Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Krisztina Burai: Institute for Political Science, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary / Doctoral School of Political Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Paweł Baranowski: Institute of Journalism and Social Communication, University of Wrocław, Poland
Michal Garaj: Institute of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia

Media and Communication, 2025, vol. 13

Abstract: Criticism of the EU has become a common feature of political communication in Central and Eastern Europe and it is often tied to broader concerns about democratic erosion and distrust in institutions. This study investigates how anti-EU rhetoric was employed on Facebook by political actors in the Visegrád countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) during the 2024 European Parliament elections and how it relates to the populist style of communication. Drawing on a comparative content analysis of more than 6,000 posts, the study examines how messages that negatively target the EU incorporate elements of populist rhetoric and emotional tools, such as fear speech and patriotic symbols. The findings show that populist actors were the most frequent users of anti-EU messaging, with anti-elitist framing as the strongest and most consistent rhetorical strategy, often accompanied by other emotional tools. Despite political differences, anti-EU campaigning showed consistent regional patterns. This article contributes to research on political communication by offering a regional comparison, incorporating visual analysis, and challenging the idea that negative messaging is a reliable strategy for mobilising audiences online.

Keywords: anti-EU rhetoric; European Parliament elections; fear speech; negative campaigning; patriotic visuals; populism; social media; user engagement; Visegrád countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v13:y:2025:a:10613

DOI: 10.17645/mac.10613

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