Continuity and change: The role of nativism and gender attitudes in the long-term dynamics of radical right party support

Defined by values of nativism, authoritarianism and populism, radical right parties (RRPs) have also been associated with traditional attitudes on women’s roles in the family and workplace. As such, gender traditional nativists are often purported to be their core supporters. But does this RRP voter profile hold over time across Western Europe? We examine this question using extensive individual-level data from three waves of the European Values Survey complemented by 15 waves of Dutch LISS panel data. While confirming the continuing role of nativism in RRP support, we find that traditionalist attitudes about gender roles do not describe the only type of RRP voter. Since 2009, there is also an important set of gender-egalitarian nativists who are attracted to these parties. Further analysis of the panel data suggests that this phenomenon reflects expansion to new RRP voters rather than the conversion of established radical right supporters to more gender-egalitarian views.