A blue wind is blowing over Norway, and therefore it is natural that a great many voters have switched from the left to the Conservative Party or the Progressive Party. But in this mass migration across the political landscape, there is one group in particular that stands out with great movement. The young men. – It is nothing new that men increasingly walk to the right and women to the left. What is new now is that the difference has become greater among young people, says election researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh, during Politisk kvarter on news on Wednesday. Among other things, the figures show that one in five men aged 18–30 voted FRP in this year’s election. During this year’s school elections, FpU also received enormous support with 19.5 per cent. An increase of over 11 per cent from 2019. – Has cracked the code FpU leader Simen Velle believes the party has cracked a code among the young men. – In the last elections, the guys have been completely forgotten. We have talked about either schemes for the whole of society or for all types of minorities other than the guys who go to high school. FpU and I decided before this election to talk to the boys in particular and solve the issues that young men raised, he says. Election researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh, says what is new now is that the difference has become so much greater among young people in who they vote for. Photo: Hina Jalil / news According to him, no one has known what these issues have been. So he and the party have been active in social media and asked questions to young Norwegian men about what concerns them and how the problems can be solved. – So I have spent almost two years of my life talking to these young men and trying to help them solve these issues politically. It has obviously borne some fruit and I don’t see it as a big problem, says Velle. He mentions proposals such as increasing the free card limit and that students should be able to work more alongside their studies without having their stipend from Lånekassen cut off as messages that hit this group. In addition, FpU has been keen to convey its view that the current system means that once people fall outside, they remain outside. – We have talked a lot about the fact that you have to take responsibility for yourself and stand on your own two feet. It’s not just about the guys, but is a message for everyone. We simply want a smaller state, and that has resonated with people, says Velle. – Don’t like people sewing pillows under their arms He believes that a large part of the reason why young men increasingly look towards the FRP and the Conservative Party is that they don’t like people “sewing pillows under their arms”. AUF leader Astrid Hoem does not think the explanation for young men choosing the right is that they feel their arms are being sewn under the pillows. Photo: Hina Jalil / news – The policy that has been pursued against young men has long been measures, measures, new measures that will lead to some money, so we must have some new rules. Then another measure must be taken and so on. Young men are starting to get a little tired of it, because you are placed in a box that you don’t necessarily belong in, believes the youth leader. AUF leader Astrid Hoem acknowledges that the left has not been able to reach out with its message to young men, but does not think it is right that young men are pushed from the left because it tries to sew pillows under their arms. – It is because we see that there is the greatest range among young boys. They are the ones who do the best in society and who benefit from the politics and rhetoric that Velle and FpU lead. Then there are those who have the most difficulty and struggle with the absence limit at school or that they do not have a job to go to, she says. Mímir Kristjánsson feels the left has failed to take an interest in the problems men themselves experience. Photo: Kristian Skårdalsmo Don’t think school is the answer to all questions Red profile Mímir Kristjánsson partially agrees with Velle. He feels that there are many on the left who refuse to talk about men’s problems and directly to men. That is why the left has not been able to give men answers to the problems they face. – Perhaps they have not been able to take an interest in the problems men themselves experience. If I have to highlight an explanation myself, I think that large parts of the left have “married” themselves to the idea that more schooling is the answer to all questions. – We see in the Norwegian school that there is one gender in particular who struggle there, and who do not find it alluring with more and more school all day, says Kristjánsson. Now the left must find its own way to win back the young men, believes the parliamentary representative. – If the left is going to find a way to win this group back, then you can’t do it with the politics of the right, he says.
ttn-69
Young men turn their backs on the left – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
