Jon Järviniemi, M.A.

Jon Järviniemi is a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki. He is currently finalizing his dissertation, which examines how populist communication has evolved across party lines in Finland—and what drives its use.
Focusing on both external shocks and internal political dynamics, Jon investigates how events like the Eurozone crisis, the 2015–2016 Refugee crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic have shaped the rhetorical strategies of Finnish political actors. His research also considers how factors such as a party’s role in government or opposition, and whether it is seen as mainstream or a challenger, influence the deployment and type of populist messaging.
In addition to his dissertation work, Jon contributes to the RESLIDE (The Resilience of Liberal Democracy in Finland) research consortium. The project assesses the robustness of Finland’s democratic institutions and explores ways to safeguard them. This includes studying citizens’ and elites’ commitment to democratic norms, examining online and offline political discourse, and analyzing structural inequalities in political participation and representation.
Jon has also been actively involved in the academic community, serving on the board of the Finnish Political Science Association (2022–2025) and playing a key role in developing the Early Scholar Network in Finland.