Yes, this model works well when people are mostly surrounded by people "like them". Populists tell such people they'd be better off if it weren't for all the pe

Yes, this model works well when people are mostly surrounded by people "like them". Populists tell such people they'd be better off if it weren't for all the people with different coloured skin, wearing funny clothes, speaking weird languages. And so while everyone probably is better off, they fester that resentment, creating a cultural feeling that we're not, and it's all _their_ fault.