Populist radical right-wing parties and the assault on political correctness: The impact of Vox in Spain
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01925121231190555 |
| Author | Carol Galais,Juan Pérez-Rajó |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121231190555
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(4) 492 –506
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/01925121231190555
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Populist radical right-wing parties
and the assault on political
correctness: The impact of Vox
in Spain
Carol Galais
Department of Political Science and Public Law, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Juan Pérez-Rajó
Department of Political Science and Public Law, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Abstract
The significant rise in the number of populist radical right (PRR) parties has not been accompanied by a
parallel interest in the consequences that these parties may have on public opinion. The limited range of
attitudes that the literature has considered so far can be broadened to include political correctness (PC),
given the increasing attacks on this concept made by PRR parties. To address the effects of such attacks,
we examine the Spanish case, where the presence of a new PRR party makes anti-PC messages a recent,
quite exogenous stimulus. Using panel data to address potential non-recursive relationships and time-variant
effects, we find that individuals are indeed more prone to lowering their levels of PC after finding Vox an
attractive electoral option. Our results inform the debates on the effects that ‘cultural wars’, anti-woke
and anti-PC rhetorics may have on public opinion, which could lead ultimately to harmful consequences for
minority groups and social cohesion.
Keywords
Political correctness, woke, populist radical right, populist, radical right, Vox, public opinion
Introduction
Over the last two decades, there has been a significant rise in the number of populist radical right
(PRR) parties and candidates all over the world, leading to several scholarly studies on the causes
of their emergence. Although some studies have been carried out on the consequences of this
increase on other parties’ positions and policies, less explored are the effects that PRR parties
might have on citizens’ attitudes, particularly beyond attitudes towards immigration. The present
Corresponding author:
Juan Pérez-Rajó, Department of Political Science and Public Law, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici B, Despatx
B3b/-113 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) Campus UAB, Barcelona, Spain.
Email: juan.perez@uab.cat
1190555IPS0010.1177/01925121231190555International Political Science ReviewGalais and Pérez-Rajó
research-article2023
Original Research Article
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