The Far Right Is the “New Cool” in Europe
Poverty and war have put Europe’s youth between Scylla and Charybdis, making them have to choose between two evils: poverty and populism.
Hundreds of people attend a Far Right and Nationalist March as part of the 83rd anniversary of the ONR(National Radical Camp) in Warsaw, Poland. ONR is a far right and Nationalistic organization who shares ideals as anti democracy, anti islam, patriotism and anti European Union. Photo by Anadolu Images
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he young electorate and first-time voters seem to be shying away from voting centrist, socialist, or even green. The year 2023 could be a year of change as voting for a far-right party appears to be the new “cool” in Europe.
Profiling the young European electorate
Young people in Europe used to be very selective when it came to choosing which party to vote for. In 2019, young Europeans prioritized human rights and democracy, climate change, green energy, and sustainable development. These preferences led to the formation of coalitions between centrist and green blocs.
Accordingly, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Italy gained their big-tent governments thanks to young voters. These governments’ policies such as lax border controls, generous public spending on social inclusion, and social security were legitimized, reflecting the characteristics of the young European electorate.
However, recent polls in Germany and Austria have shown the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in leading positions. Young Austrian and German voters seem to favor such far-right options. At the same time, 23% of young Italians helped the far-right Brotherhood of Italy secure the government in 2022. Nordic voters also had their moment of truth: 22% of young Swedes went to the polls to vote for a right-wing populist party.
Economic concerns leading young voters to the far right
The energy crisis in Europe was the first event to prompt a change in electoral preferences. As a consequence of European sanctions against Russia, gas prices rose drastically. By the last quarter of 2022, gas prices in Western Europe had risen by between 450% and 750%. European households started to struggle to cover the cost of the most crucial utilities. In 2022, the quarterly gas bill of an average Italian household cost up to 52,000 euros.
The economy has been the main drive for the shift to the far right. According to the European Policy Center, transformation processes related to economy, migration, and energy are setting the ground for the decline of mainstream parties. Right-wing populist leaders incorporate price changes in their political discourse. Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, asked his voters at a rally why young Europeans should pay the price of a pointless sanction against Russia when Russian oligarchs are not suffering.
But, it is unwise to think that economic hardship has led the youth directly to the far right. Right-wing parties often have cliques and factions within themselves. Even the most far-right AfD has a moderate faction, the Alternative Mitte (“Alternative Midpoint” in German), which prioritizes economic inequality over cultural issues. This moderate faction became the main attraction for young German voters, especially in the eastern provinces.
Young people in the east voiced their concerns over the lack of social infrastructure as they struggle to find work and are forced to move west. Recent polls confirm this view with 47% of AfD voters supporting their party only to protest against the ruling coalition on economic issues.
Greek youth feel forced to vote for right-wing popularism
Young voters seem to have a vivid memory of past events. In voting for the 2023 parliamentary elections, young Greeks remembered the catastrophic debt crisis: they harshly punished the centrist Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and the socialist Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) for the crisis, while 33% of young Greeks rewarded the New Democracy party for its successful maneuvers in rescuing the country from the crisis. New Democracy’s promises of tax cuts also swayed young voters.
Did this very same electorate ignore New Democracy’s mistreatment of migrants? Just two weeks before the election, hundreds of migrants died in the Ionian Sea. Despite such tragedies, young voters broke a record by making New Democracy the strongest right-wing populist party in Europe with a solid 40% of national votes. Even those who belong to anarchist youth subgroups decided to vote for the party for financial stability.
The future of young far-right voters in Europe
Bill Clinton’s famous phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” managed to find its way into European politics. The economy has indeed played a role in shaping the preferences of Europe’s youth. This can also be interpreted as good news: young voters are not ideologically attached to right-wing populism.
But poverty and war have put Europe’s youth between Scylla and Charybdis, making them have to choose between two evils: poverty and populism. The result has been that populism has been perceived as the lesser evil.
