Poland’s right-wing Confederation party has seen a surge in support among voters, particularily young voters, according to a poll funded by civic groups and carried out by the Kantor research agency.
For voters aged 18 to 39, the party polled at 27 percent. The ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) polled just 13 percent in that age group, and Confederation came second only to a hypothetical joint slate of the opposition parties (the liberal PO, Poland 2050, Left and the center-right PSL), which recorded 38 percent.
The poll was done by the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza and conducted with a larger than usual sample of 4,000 voters.
Another interesting statistic with regard to Confederation is the fact that its support among all men is 17 percent but only 5 percent among women. Its voters are certainly dominated by young men. Among the 40-59 age group, it polls at 8 percent, more than three times less than among younger voters. That support falls to just 2 percent among those over 60 years of age.
Confederation polls equally well among those with higher education (12 percent) and those who only finished high school (13 percent); however, it tends to do better among those with higher incomes. It polls 23 percent among those with above-average income. This may be a reflection of the fact that Confederation is the only significant party in Poland that has made cutting the tax burden a top priority.
The Confederation’s anti-establishment, libertarian and nationalist message is therefore appealing most to young men, the same age group that feels most threatened by gender politics and the crisis of masculinity.
