Book chapter
Inside Chega's membership
João Carvalho (Carvalho, J.); José Santana Pereira (Santana Pereira, J.); Riccardo Marchi (Marchi, R.);
Book Title
Chega: The new Portuguese far right
Year (definitive publication)
2025
Language
English
Country
United Kingdom
More Information
Web of Science®

This publication is not indexed in Web of Science®

Scopus

Times Cited: 0

(Last checked: 2026-05-20 23:15)

View record in Scopus

Google Scholar

Times Cited: 0

(Last checked: 2026-05-21 23:21)

View record in Google Scholar

This publication is not indexed in Overton

Abstract
This chapter examines the characteristics of Chega’s party members in the early 2020s through the analysis of a large N survey to help overcome the lack of overall knowledge on far-right activists. The internal composition of the PRRP shapes their internal development, as well as their electoral success at the polls. Drawing on past literature, this chapter will trace the distribution of Chega’s membership according to three main groups: the extremists, the opportunists, and the moderates. Secondly, this investigation seeks to explore the causal factors that influence the internal composition of Chega’s membership. The conclusions will suggest that Chega’s membership is mainly formed by moderates, followed by opportunists, whilst overt ideological extremism is confined to the fringes of the party’s membership. Male and younger party members are more likely to display an extremist profile than female and older members. Chega’s internal composition reflects its roots in deeply conservative circles and the lack of imposition of a cordon sanitaire by the mainstream parties, particularly the PSD
Acknowledgements
--
Keywords