The Sources of Right-Wing Extremism in Latin America

Recent scholarship on right-wing extremism has focused predominantly on Western Europe and North America, where cultural backlash against post-materialist values and economic insecurity is often seen as a central driver of radicalization on the right. Latin America presents a puzzle. Despite the absence of a full post-materialist turn and the continued salience of economic cleavages, the region has witnessed the rise of electorally competitive far-right leaders and parties. This paper seeks to explain the sources of right-wing extremism in Latin America by shifting attention from voting behavior to individual-level extremist attitudes and their interaction with political context. Conceptually, we distinguish between the radical right and the extreme right within the broader far-right family. We define right-wing extremism as the combination of ideologically extreme conservatism and high levels of social authoritarianism, reflected in support for strongman rule and a willingness to sacrifice civil and political liberties in the name of order. Building on this definition, we argue that right-wing extremism in Latin America is shaped by both long-term structural inequalities and short-term political dynamics. At the individual level, we hypothesize that unequal access to education and persistent income inequality generate deep value divides between lower-class citizens and progressive cultural elites, fostering resentment and extremist attitudes. Accordingly, we expect right-wing extremism to be more prevalent among individuals without higher education and among lower-income groups. We further argue that right-wing extremism displays a clear gendered pattern: men are more likely than women to endorse extremist attitudes, reflecting stronger support for hierarchical social relations and traditional gender roles. At the contextual level, we emphasize the role of political and cultural threat. We argue that the electoral strength of the political left increases right-wing extremism, particularly among older individuals and frequent churchgoers. In addition, we hypothesize that gender equality acts as a contextual amplifier of the gender gap in extremism. In countries where gender equality is higher, challenges to traditional gender hierarchies are more salient, increasing the likelihood that men—relative to women—will react by adopting more extreme right-wing positions. To test these expectations, we combine individual-level survey data with country-level indicators for 16 Latin American countries. The analysis draws on multiple waves of the AmericasBarometer and the PELA surveys of legislators and employs multilevel regression models to assess how individual characteristics and political contexts jointly shape extremist attitudes. By disentangling right-wing extremism from electoral choice and highlighting its gendered and contextual foundations, the paper contributes to comparative debates on authoritarianism, polarization, and the global rise of the far right.