Gendered support for the radical right: the role of personal network cues

Gender shapes support for populist radical right parties (PRRPs), but the role of voters’ immediate social environment remains underexplored. Building on research linking PRRP support to social cues and stigma, this study examines whether the association between cues in personal networks and PRRP support differs for women and men, expecting a stronger association among women in a context of gendered social sanctions and stigma. Flemish (Belgium) data from ‘De Stemming 2023′ (n = 1,921) show that having a PRRP supporter in one’s personal network is indeed strongly associated with support for the radical right party Vlaams Belang, and that this association is significantly stronger among women. Media exposure and neighbourhood-level cues show weaker, non-gendered associations, and gender differences in exposure itself are limited. Personal networks thus matter for PRRP support, and they matter more for women.