news It's not just boomers, Europe's young people are voting far right too

[Gwendolyn]

Far-right parties are surging across Europe — and young voters are buying in.

 

Many parties with anti-immigrant agendas are even seeing support from first-time young voters in the upcoming June 6-9 European Parliament election.

 

In Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany and Finland, younger voters are backing anti-immigration and anti-establishment parties in numbers equal to and even exceeding older voters, analyses of recent elections and research of young people's political preferences suggest.

 

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' anti-immigration far-right Freedom Party won the 2023 election on a campaign that tied affordable housing to restrictions on immigration — a focus that struck a chord with young voters.

 

In Portugal, too, the far-right party Chega, which means "enough" in Portuguese, drew on young people's frustration with the housing crisis, among other quality-of-life concerns. 

 

The analysis also points to a split: While young women often reported support for the Greens and other left-leaning parties, anti-migration parties did particularly well among young men. (Though there are some exceptions. See France, below, for example.)

 

Still in some countries, the far right's popularity did not always translate to becoming favorites of the youth. In 2022, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy received votes from every age bracket, data suggested the young favored left-wing parties more.

 

Polls in the link:

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-young-people-right-wing-voters-far-right-politics-eu-elections-parliament/

[Bloodflowers.]

Suddenly it's gonna be right-wing parties wanting to lower age required to vote for elections

[If U Seek Amy]

The classic "we aren't happy with this side so let's try the other side". Give it a few years and they will flip back using the same logic probably 

[byzantium]

Let me just save this for whenever Europeans get on a high horse about Americans. 

[LustSpell]

The second young people got comfortable after their rights got certified they stopped caring. It's a fight until the end of the time with these people. They'll snap back when they start losing what they were born with.

[Bloodflowers.]

1 minute ago, byzantium said:

Let me just save this for whenever Europeans get on a high horse about Americans. 

 

This is a trend in Western Europe it seems like, in my country for example almost half of the youth vote (which is massive) went to progressive left-wing green party, followed by left-wing party and then moderate right-wing party. Far-right party got the least amount of youth vote, they flopped and only got big votes from older people. 

 

[Twixters]

Is europes far right the same as americas though? 
 

Just curious what issues they want vs americas far right 

[ontherocks]

TikTok.

 

Doesn't surprise me 

[Reginald]

It's sad seeing young people enthusiastically throw away rights that people died for in the 20th century. Maybe we're just doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

[liquiddiamonds]

I never understood some of the false equivalencies that people create like youthful = progressive. Far right parties, at the moment, have a stronger narrative to sway these voters. With algorithms and conservative older family members it's not one bit surprising they are voting aligned with these parties. Right wing parties anywhere have found the perfect way to seem like forces from out of the establishment, rebels wanting to solve the economic and moral issues plaguing people and the left has been failing in building and seizing narratives as strong to justify its policies. Partly because the left has been winning tickets headed by some of their most conservative-friendly people, but honestly that's just making real conservatives more palatable to swing voters and alienating their main core. Elections in general are becoming more conservative and about retaining what we already conquered. We won't get out of this mess anytime soon

Edited May 29 by liquiddiamonds

[suburbannature]

welcome back to 1939, ladies

[Shelter]

Not surprised. Everyone is talking about immigration and the governments do nothing so they will vote someone else. 

[Gwendolyn]

8 minutes ago, ontherocks said:

TikTok.

 

Doesn't surprise me 

AfD and National Rally have also had a huge monopoly when it comes to promoting themselves there. Parties in the ID (Group of parties with far-right views in the EU parliament) had more followers, likes and views than the ECR and Left groups 

[ontherocks]

Just now, Gwendolyn said:

AfD and National Rally have also had a huge monopoly when it comes to promoting themselves there. Parties in the ID (Group of parties with far-right views in the EU parliament) had more followers, likes and views than the ECR and Left groups 

AfD has a huge scandal right now involving spying for Russia and China. Who owns TikTok? Right. Who wants to destabilize Europe? You get it. 

[liquiddiamonds]

13 minutes ago, selena_lavigne said:

Y'all talking about "algorithms." Apart from a few Zionists i still follow because i'm trying to understand, my algorithm is as far left as can be, because i made it that way. You choose what your algorithm looks like.

Right wing discourse has entered many of the entertainment spaces for young people (sports, gaming influencers, game platforms, straight male centered podcasts, etc). It's a troy horse and you don't need to explicitly follow the ideologues to be exposed to the ideas. You seem to be explicitly exploring politics with social media. So you are building your own algorithm in regards to that, but I have realized that most people just get their politics from the most random sources (aka they aren't actively searching the subject on social media, just on the receiving end of content creators that dabble on politics)

Edited May 29 by liquiddiamonds

[Trent W]

Ngl with all the problems they have with immigration is hard to blame them for looking for a different option

[teenager]

Andrew Tate. 

[Communion]

1 hour ago, Gwendolyn said:

 

The analysis also points to a split: While young women often reported support for the Greens and other left-leaning parties, anti-migration parties did particularly well among young men. (Though there are some exceptions. See France, below, for example.)

This graph of voting intention by gender difference from Sweden's 2022 election is still evergreen:

 

 

 

[Capris Groove]

There's been a huge missed opportunity to address immigration honestly with the public, that it's necessary to keep the growth economy going because birth rates are declining (and birth rates are declining at least in part because it's unaffordable to have children now). Instead, they just act like the topic doesn't exist.

 

And yes, mass immigration is tied to higher housing costs, more strain on social services, etc. That's not a made-up link, it's basic supply and demand. Again, no one is addressing this.

 

I'm as pro-immigrant as they come by the way, but again, address these issues with the public transparently, and you might get somewhere.

[Glam]

When countries are stable and booming, the center parties thrive. As things start to get tough people start to look at the extremes.

 

First they look towards the far left since they're the ones always promising change.

 

If they fail, people start to look towards the far right since the past always looks brighter because of nostalgia.

 

[Communion]

1 hour ago, Twixters said:

Is europes far right the same as americas though? 
 

Just curious what issues they want vs americas far right 

Sister half of these parties are like literal neo-nazis. Geert Wilders - someone who multiple people on here have defended as "sensible on immigration" - literally has a slogan about kicking all Moroccans out of the Netherlands. 

[Anthinos]

It annoys me when people blame everything on immigration. Here in Germany, people also said for years that the AfD was only being voted for out of protest. No, many people vote for these parties out of conviction and many people are actually racist, homophobic, etc. The LGBT+ community is getting a lot of hate at the moment and it's not because of the housing crisis. The truth is that the far right is very successful on social media and many popular people are on the right like Tate, Musk etc. You could close all the borders and it wouldn't change anything. It's no longer just immigration. 

[selena_lavigne]

1 hour ago, liquiddiamonds said:

Right wing discourse has entered many of the entertainment spaces for young people (sports, gaming influencers, game platforms, straight male centered podcasts, etc). It's a troy horse and you don't need to explicitly follow the ideologues to be exposed to the ideas. You seem to be explicitly exploring politics with social media. So you are building your own algorithm in regards to that, but I have realized that most people just get their politics from the most random sources (aka they aren't actively searching the subject on social media, just on the receiving end of content creators that dabble on politics

Girl i'm boutta take a long break from all social media. Basically if i could just fall asleep and wake up in 2030 that would be ideal. 

Edited May 29 by selena_lavigne

[Twixters]

1 hour ago, Communion said:

Sister half of these parties are like literal neo-nazis. Geert Wilders - someone who multiple people on here have defended as "sensible on immigration" - literally has a slogan about kicking all Moroccans out of the Netherlands. 

Well most countries complain about immigrants what makes them nei nazis though? Just curious sorry I just don't see Europe far right wingers being like the crazy christian nationalist hell bent on bringing back 1700s puritan america  and the kkk

Edited May 30 by Twixters

[woohoo]

You know what, I'm kinda warming up to trump and Putin dropping the nukes. Let's end this facade already. You can't flee your country because everywhere else is becoming far right as well. I'm tired of fighting to exist tbh.