A spatial approach to the study of the electoral resurgence of the extreme right in Southern Spain

Abstract

This study analyzes at a local level (i.e. census tract) the spatial patterns and main contextual factors related to the electoral resurgence of the extreme-right party (VOX) in Southern Spain (Andalusia) in 2018 and 2019. The 2019 electoral data was associated with the percentage of total foreign-born population, degree of territorial concentration of economic migrants, average income level, percentage of elderly people, urban/rural areas and the percentage of vote for VOX in 2018 (t − 1). We used a global and local spatial autocorrelation analysis to detect the spatial patterns of the vote for VOX and a spatial Durbin regression model to assess the role of contextual variables and spatial effects. The results underline the importance of space in modelling the vote for VOX and point to the existence of a spatial diffusion process. Previous electoral behavior and the urban milieu also play key roles in explaining the vote for VOX. Moreover, the territorial concentration of economic migrants is negatively related with the vote for VOX, which illustrates the positive character of interracial contact.