French-style cultural backlash?
Type de matériel :
21
The growing popularity of the Far Right and its politicization of cultural issues like immigration, gender, and authority raises the question of a possible cultural backlash in France, such as has been theorized in the academic literature. Based on original survey data, this article examines the existence of a cultural backlash among French voters, looking at its attitudinal dimensions, and how such backlash may intersect with populism. The analysis looks at the effect of the typical values of the backlash on voting in the 2022 presidential across two key moments during the campaign. The paper finds that, while such values may have initially fueled support for Zemmour in the early stage of the campaign, they have had on the other hand little effect on the outcome of the election. Nevertheless, the data confirm the existence of diffuse cultural anxieties within the French electorate, which are strongly linked with populism, and which may be activated and exploited by political entrepreneurs.
Réseaux sociaux