2025 | Ðorđe Milosav, Zachary Dickson, Sara B. Hobolt, Heike Klüver, Theresa Kuhn and Toni Rodon

Young, male, right-wing? Gender gap among young voters

A clear political shift to the right is emerging among Europe’s younger generation – driven primarily by young men. A new study based on representative data from all 27 EU member states shows: right-wing populist and far-right parties receive significantly more support among young men than among young women.

More than 21 percent of men under 30 support a right-wing populist or far-right party – among women of the same age, the figure is only around 14 percent. This gender gap is no coincidence: on average, young women represent significantly more progressive societal values than young men.

The analysis is based on data from the European Election Studies (EES) 2024, which surveyed almost 25,000 people across Europe. Long-term comparisons with previous EES surveys since 1989 show: the gender gap in voting behavior is particularly pronounced among Millennials and Generation Z – and continues to grow.

As political influences in young adulthood often have long-term effects on attitudes and voting behavior, this Europe-wide trend raises key questions for the future of democratic societies.

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1 – Delstudio / Dreamstime / Gender symbols on earth background with a big crack, gender gap concept.