Are Nationalist Voters Cut from the Same Cloth? The Basis of Electoral Support for UKIP and the National Front in Great Britain and France

The European elections of 2014 in France and the United Kingdom produced stunning results. In both nations, the right wing nationalist parties collected a plurality of the votes. In the United Kingdom, Nigel Farage’s United Kingdom Independence Party captured 24 seats and 26.6% of the vote while in France, Marie LePen’s National Front equalled UKIP’s seat total and garnered 24.9% of the vote. Many would argue that the success of both parties is due both to the divisive issue of immigration and the large popular appeal of the party leaders. However, immigration is mentioned as the most important issue more often in the UK and the National Front is seen as far more responsive to the economic malaise facing France. This paper utilizes a unique French and British European election study to examine the similarities and differences in popular support for these two parties. A broader issue base and less potent leader suggest that the National Front may have more staying power than UKIP.