By Alexandre Morin-Chassé.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
On July 22, 2011, just before carrying out terrorist attacks that claimed 77 lives in Norway, Anders Breivik released a 1,500-page manifesto. In this document, he detailed his preparations for the attacks and shared his views on various political and social issues.
Among his extensive arguments, Breivik criticized "cultural Marxists" for ignoring scientific evidence suggesting that genetics plays a major role in human abilities and behavior. He advocated for genetic screening and birth control to prevent the extinction of the Nordic race and to increase its average IQ.
Breivik is not the only extreme-right terrorist to espouse such views; manifestos from the shooters involved in the 2019 Christchurch and 2022 Buffalo attacks also included essentialist claims about genetics and their social implications.
Albeit a notable viewpoint among lone actor terrorists on the extreme right, little is known about the extent to which average supporters of Far-right parties also harbour such genetic essentialist beliefs.
Genetic essentialism among supporters of populist radical-right parties
I addressed this issue in a research note recently published in the International Journal of Public Opinion Research as part of a special issue on Global Perspectives on Science, Polarization, and Populism.
My research presents findings from two studies conducted in Sweden and Norway. Survey participants were asked a series of questions assessing the extent to which they believe genetics is the primary driver of social outcomes. They also indicated their support or opposition to each political party relevant to national elections.
The results showed that, in both countries, high levels of genetic essentialism correlated with stronger support for Far-right parties. In other words, compared to supporters of other parties, Far-right supporters were more inclined to view genetics as a significant factor influencing abilities, talents, and social behaviors, as well as explaining similarities and differences among individuals, genders, and ethnic groups.
Notably, this association was stronger in Sweden among supporters of the Swedish Democrats than in Norway, where supporters of the relatively less radical Progress Party were surveyed. Genetic essentialism was also positively correlated with support for some other right-wing parties (e.g. Christian Democratic Party in Sweden, the Conservative Party in Norway), though to a lesser extent than for far-right ones.
The Far-right is commonly associated with misinformation and alternative knowledge, which we also see here, as high levels of genetic essentialism contradict the contemporary scientific understanding of genetics.
Scholars and scientists of the 19th and 20th centuries speculated about the influence of genetics on social outcomes without having the appropriate tools to validate their theories. The completion of the human genome sequencing in 2003 provided scientists with new information to directly investigate the role of genes. The findings revealed a far more complex picture than previously anticipated. Simple Mendelian inheritance models fail to account for most human traits, including some basic biological characteristics.
According to contemporary research, genes interact with each other and with various environmental factors. Epigenetics adds another layer of complexity by demonstrating that heritable biological traits can exist outside of DNA and can be reversible.
In short, the beliefs held by far-right supporters regarding genetics are oversimplified, lack scientific backing, and more closely resemble outdated biological theories.
A predictor of support for eugenic policies
Although these findings may be unsurprising, they raise a crucial concern: the potential return of eugenics, i.e. public policies promoting reproduction among individuals deemed fit for breeding or discouraging it among those declared unfit.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, deterministic views of genetics were used to justify eugenic policies, including those implemented in Scandinavian countries. Thousands of individuals categorized as “feeble-minded,” “sexually deviant,” or “unfit to be custodians of children” underwent coerced or pressured sterilization, all in the name of improving public health based on the assumption that their conditions had unchangeable genetic roots.
While compulsory sterilization was largely discredited in the decades following World War II, recent studies indicate that some level of public support for eugenic policies remains. These studies also find that genetic essentialism significantly predicts support for such policies. Combining this research with my findings leads to a troubling hypothesis: far-right supporters—who often exhibit high levels of genetic essentialism—may also be inclined to endorse eugenic policies. Future studies should empirically investigate this question.
Many Far-right officials invest considerable effort into rebranding their parties and distancing themselves from the neo-Nazi movements of the past. Even so, it is unclear how they would respond if eugenic policies were reintroduced into the legislative agenda today.
Although most eugenic policies were banned long ago in Nordic countries, transgender individuals who wish to undergo legal sex change procedures have up until recently been subject to mandatory sterilization. In Sweden (2013), Denmark (2014), and Finland (2023), populist radical-right parties voted against abolishing this particular eugenic practice. However, in Norway (2016), the Progress Party supported the bill.
Voting patterns among conservative members of parliament varied: some supported the bill, while others voted against it or abstained. During the same period, many other European countries also adopted similar laws, and a broader analysis may reveal interesting patterns regarding these changes. The stances of Nordic far-right parties on eugenic policies suggest a trend worth exploring.
Digging further
Research on how contemporary far-right parties view genetic essentialism and eugenic policies is still in its early stages. In particular, there is a need for knowledge of how current or former party leaders and supporters of the Far-right come to believe that genes are a significant factor influencing social outcomes. Furthermore, research should explore their awareness of scientific research challenging this viewpoint, and whether they would support or oppose eugenic policies if the question arose.
This post was first published on RightNow!, a blog hosted by the C-REX - Center for Research on Extremism, based at the University of Olso.
Read the original research: Genetic essentialism among supporters of populist radical-right parties: Evidence from Sweden and Norway.
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