A Red Letter Day: Investigating the Renaissance of the French Far Left in the 2012 Presidential Election

Abstract

This article extends the current literature on European far left parties by investigating the socio-demographic, ideological and attitudinal profile of the French far left voter in the 2012 Presidential Elections. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of the economic crisis on the sudden electoral rise of the French far left and factors such as economic hardship, change of economic conditions, attitudes toward economic inequality and Euroscepticism. Results suggest that explanations based purely on economic factors fall short of explaining the totality of the French far left vote, especially if compared with the other parties of the French far left. Instead, attitudes toward Europe and post-materialism are central in the understanding of the renaissance of the French far left. Based on these findings we reach a number of conclusions regarding the future of far left parties in France and Europe.