From frustration to radicalization: sexual-affective grievance and modern sexism among young right-wing voters in Spain

Far-right parties across Europe have increasingly capitalized on narratives of gender backlash, mobilizing young male voters through grievances rooted in sexual-affective dissatisfaction and modern sexist attitudes. This article contributes to this growing literature by examining how sexual and affective frustration – combined with modern sexism – shapes voting preferences for far-right versus mainstream right parties. Sexual-affective dissatisfaction acts as a gateway to far-right support among young men – VOX becomes a symbolic refuge for those who feel left behind in love, sex, and gender politics. Drawing on original survey data of young voters in Spain, we find that sexual-affective dissatisfaction significantly increases the probability of supporting the far right (VOX) among men, but not among women, and not for the mainstream right (PP). Moreover, this frustration magnifies the effect of modern sexist attitudes on far-right voting. In contrast, no such effects are observed among mainstream right voters. Our findings reveal the centrality of male grievance politics in far-right mobilization and help clarify the gendered pathways through which backlash against feminism and unmet affective needs translate into political behaviour.

欧洲各地的极右翼政党（far-right parties）日益借助性别反弹叙事，借由根植于性与情感不满及现代性别歧视态度的不满情绪，动员年轻男性选民。本文为该领域日益壮大的研究文献作出贡献，考察了性与情感挫败感结合现代性别歧视态度，如何塑造选民对极右翼政党与主流右翼政党的投票偏好。性与情感不满是年轻男性群体支持极右翼政党的关键通道——对于那些在爱情、性爱与性别政治中感到被抛在身后的人而言，VOX成为了其象征性避风港。本文基于西班牙年轻选民的原创调查数据发现：性与情感不满显著提升了男性群体支持极右翼政党VOX的概率，但对女性群体及主流右翼政党（PP）的支持率无显著影响。此外，此类挫败感强化了现代性别歧视态度对极右翼投票的影响。与之相反，在主流右翼选民中未观察到此类效应。本研究结果揭示了男性不满政治在极右翼动员中的核心地位，并有助于厘清反女权逆流与未被满足的情感需求如何通过性别化路径转化为政治行为。