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New research by more than 150 political scientists has found that European voters are now almost five times as likely to vote for far-right parties as they were in 1995. Anti-establishment parties have also seen a surge in popularity.
Far-right parties are on the rise across Europe, new research suggests.
Analysis by more than 150 political scientists from 21 countries was recently published by PopuList, with the study led by Matthijs Rooduijn, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam. According to the results, almost one in four European voters now back far-right parties, a near fivefold increase compared to the mid-1990s.
In fact, the number of far-right voters has grown to 23%, a 13% rise from 2016 and an 18% rise from 1995. 30% of Europeans also now vote for anti-establishment parties, breaking all previous records. There was a particular surge in far-right votes between 2023 and 2024, The Guardian reports.
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party grew from 16% to 29% in 2024’s elections, for example, and France’s National Rally ballooned from 19% to 37%. It is now the largest single party in parliament. In Britain, Reform UK grew from 2% in 2019 to 14% in 2024, with recent local elections boosting its legitimacy as a major disruptor to the traditional, two-tier system.
‘It’s important to emphasise that this isn’t a sudden thing,’ explained Rooduijn to The Guardian. ‘[The growth of the far-right has] been underway for decades, and [has] accelerated recently.’
This surge is evidence to suggest that far-right parties are becoming less stigmatised. ‘The bigger and more successful they get, the more ‘normal’ they become,’ Rooduijn said. ‘That’s helped by the media and by mainstream parties embracing their ideas.’
What’s causing the shift toward right-wing parties?
Several complex socioeconomic factors can be attributed to the shift toward more right-wing ideals and politics in Europe.
For one, social media and algorithmic content have made it very easy for outrage and more extreme ideas to thrive, with key issues like gender division and immigration having steadily gained momentum online over the past decade or so.
Misinformation has absolutely had an influence on democracies across the world, from the MAGA movement in the US to Reform in the UK.
Economic hardships have also spurred feelings of animosity, particularly in Europe, where young people and working-class voters are facing a whole host of problems that make basic life goals unattainable.
We’ve written extensively about Gen Z’s financial struggles, including rising house costs, stagnant wages, expensive bills, and wavering job opportunities.
A lack of prospects is driving anti-establishment attitudes. These, in turn, generate momentum toward right-wing parties that promise something different.
Anti-establishment rhetoric inherently creates a ‘us against them’ narrative that frames right-wing ideas as being underrepresented, even if the opposite is often true. This partly explains the popularity of figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, who are perceived as disruptive and ‘for the people’ despite being wealthy elites.
