Are you right wing? Five signs to know how

Europe is anticipated to take a sharp right turn in this year’s European parliament elections. The past decade has already seen a rightward shift in India, and the United States has the greatest gap between left and right for 50 years. In light of these global trends, it’s crucial to understand what being “rightwing” actually means, rather than simply using the term as an insult.

The idea of “the right” originated in the French National Assembly of 1789. There, it described those who supported giving the king veto powers (who were to gather on the right hand side of the assembly hall). Today, however, “the right” covers a wide range of political positions.

Some are mainstream, such as conservatism (focusing on tradition and order), nationalism (promoting national sovereignty and identity), and neoliberalism (supporting free markets and small government). Others are more radical, including the far right, alt-right, and deep right. New variants continue to emerge, like national conservatism and forms of post-liberalism.

Such diversity makes it hard to define what being rightwing entails. Yet, a recent study of over 5,000 people in the US shed new light on the matter.

The five signs

This study, which used a more robust approach than much previous research, found that the more strongly someone identified as conservative or rightwing, the more likely they were...

Read more