{"id":305343,"date":"2026-05-18T16:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=feature&p=305343"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:12:20","slug":"305343-2","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/feature\/305343-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Right-Wing Populism in the Decade Since Brexit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Note: Since 2020, we have measured favorability toward Reform UK. Previously, we measured favorability toward the UK Independence Party.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Right-Wing Populism in the Decade Since Brexit<\/h1>\n\n\n
By<\/span> Richard Wike<\/a>, <\/span>Jonathan Schulman<\/a>, <\/span>Jordan Lippert<\/a>, <\/span>Sofia Hernandez Ramones<\/a>, <\/span>Andrew Prozorovsky<\/a>, <\/span>Chris Baronavski<\/a>, <\/span>John Carlo Mandapat<\/a> and<\/span> Janakee Chavda<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The results of the June 23, 2016, Brexit vote were a shock to many in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By a 52%-48% margin, British voters chose to leave the European Union. With its \u201cTake back control\u201d slogan, the \u201cVote Leave\u201d campaign tapped into anti-elite sentiments, concerns about immigration and a variety of other discontents, stoking a populist backlash against the political classes in London and Brussels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the decade since, right-wing populism has gained influence and support in many European nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, the National Rally party led by right-wing populist Marine Le Pen held only two of the National Assembly\u2019s 577 seats in 2016. Today, it holds 123 \u2013 more than any other party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) held zero seats in parliament, and no far-right party had been represented in the Bundestag since World War II. Today, AfD is its second-largest party, holding 150 of the 630 seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giorgia Meloni became prime minister of Italy after her Brothers of Italy party won parliamentary elections in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our survey data highlights the degree to which right-wing populist parties in these four countries have become more popular over the past 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Rally and AfD get significantly higher ratings today than they did in spring 2016, just before the Brexit vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brothers of Italy has increased in favorability by 10 percentage points since we first asked about it in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reform UK gets positive reviews from 32% of the British public \u2013 the same share who gave its predecessor, the UK Independence Party, favorable marks in 2016. Favorability toward Reform UK is on par with sentiment toward the country\u2019s establishment parties (Conservative and Labour) as of our spring 2026 survey.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>