Why young Europeans are turning towards the far right

Housing, health and economic fears, not cultural factors, are pushing many younger voters towards political extremes

- Jon Henley & Pjotr Sauer

Lunching on a sandwich in the central market of Volendam, a port north of Amsterdam, Gerald, 24, was lucid about his choice in last month's Dutch election.

"I voted for Wilders, and many of my friends did too," he said. "I don't want to live with my parents forever. I want my own home, and to be able to provide for my family later on. Wilders wants to figure out the housing crisis and make our healthcare better. Those are the most important topics for me."

If everyone who voted in the election were aged under 35, Geert Wilders, the far-right populist whose Party for Freedom (PVV) shocked Europe by winning the most parliamentary seats, would have won even more. 

In last year's French presidential runoff, Marine Le Pen won 39% of votes from people aged 18-24 and 49% of those aged 25-34. Before Italy's election in September last year, Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy was the largest party among under-35s, on 22%.

Across Europe, the image of the radical-right voter - typically white, male, non-graduate, and old - is changing, and studies suggest that in several countries, support for the far right is growing fastest among younger voters.

Several factors may explain the phenomenon, analysts say. "We really should be careful about assuming a cultural or ideological alignment between young voters and the far right," said Catherine de Vries, a political scientist at Italy's Bocconi University.