Students and far right parties: a case study of the electoral behaviour of students voting for the National Front in the last French presidential elections

Abstract

The electoral behaviour of students voting for far right parties is an underdeveloped area of research in political behaviour studies that this project aims to explore. Focusing on the case of France and the National front, this dissertation seeks to answer the specific question of why some students chose to vote for the national front in recent presidential elections. Drawing upon existing literature on electoral behaviour and the transcript of semi structured interviews I have conducted with students who voted for the national front in recent French political elections, this dissertation offers a qualitative analysis of a political phenomenon that is subject to little analysis. The findings show that the student’s vote for the national front relies on a clear lack of party identification, which allows for greater mobility on the right side of the political spectrum. This lack of party identification associated with student’s strong ideological stances as well as the national front capacity to transform its image over the years has led the participants not only to vote for the national front but also to abandon traditional right wing parties.