Societal Pessimism

Eefje Steenvoorden is assistant professor in political sociology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

• CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1 A study of a neglected phenomenon 1.2 The individual concern about the state of society: three main questions 1.3 Scientific and societal relevance 1.4 Methods, data and cases 1.5 Overview of the book CHAPTER 2 A theoretical disentangling of the concern about society CHAPTER 3 The empirical validity of societal unease and societal pessimism CHAPTER 4 Expressions of societal unease and societal pessimism CHAPTER 5 Continent of pessimism or continent of realism? The impact of the political and economic context on societal pessimism in Europe 2006-2021 CHAPTER6 When our country was still our country. Explaining support for Populist Radical Right parties with societal pessimism CHAPTER 7 One of a kind, or all of a kind? Groups of participants and their distinctive outlook on society CHAPTER 8 Explaining identity complexity. Sociotropic uncertainty and political-geographic identification in Europe CHAPTER 9 Conclusions and discussion.