Globalisation has reshaped politics — but do its self-perceived losers also see different societal threats?
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In a new research note in West European Politics, SCRIPTS researchers Heiko Giebler, Lukas Antoine and Rasmus Ollroge use PALS survey data from more than 52,000 respondents in 30 countries to examine how people who feel they have lost more than gained from globalisation perceive major challenges to society.
News from Jun 04, 2026
The study finds a clear but selective pattern: self-perceived losers of globalisation are more likely to see immigration, surveillance, lack of political influence, and large companies’ influence as major threats. They are less likely to select climate change, discrimination, and pandemics. At the same time, concerns such as economic inequality, hunger and poverty, and tax evasion cut across the globalisation divide. Polarization concerning threats is unrelated to the proportion of citizens perceiving issues as threats.
The globalisation divide is therefore not only economic or structural. It is also psychological in the way that it is reflected in how citizens interpret societal challenges — but some issues may still bridge rather than deepen this divide.
Citation:
Giebler, H., Antoine, L., & Ollroge, R. (2026). Threat perceptions and the globalisation divide. West European Politics, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2026.2669949