Nick Jardine
Business Insider
11/8/2011
A study by a British think tank has shown that European far-right parties, such as Marine Le Pen’s Front National Party, are supported by young people online.
France 24 reports that Demos, the think tank, surveyed over 10,000 Internet users, discovering that far-right parties are bolstered in their support by young, predominantly male and Internet savvy individuals.
France’s Front National, Finland’s True Finns and Netherlands Dutch Party for Freedom can all count on online support according to Demos. The organization also reported that national identity, rather than economic concerns, motivated support for these parties.
Additionally, it was noted that those who supported these groups online were more likely to take action in support of their beliefs than the general population.The organization also said that 67 percent of those who supported the parties voted for them in the last election.
Demos was able to gather its data by placing 14 ads on Facebook for different parties. It then monitored which users “liked” those advertisements.
