MADRID:-  A recent survey has revealed that young voters in Spain are increasingly drawn to the right-wing party’s anti-immigration agenda.

Nearly a third of voters aged 18 to 24, who support the far-right party Vox, have launched a nationwide campaign expressing concerns about immigration.

The far-right party, which is the third largest party in the Spanish parliament, has promised to deport all illegal immigrants if it takes power.

According to a survey by 40DB published last month, around 17.4 percent of Spaniards supported Vox, compared to 12.4 percent in the last election in 2023.

Younger Spaniards are increasingly turning to the right-wing populist party. The survey found that 29 percent of Vox voters are aged 18-24, while only 9.9 percent are over 65.

The youngest group of Vox voters was 38 percent male, while 20 percent were female.

“Immigration has increased in recent years,” said a young local. “If you go to Barcelona, ​​in some places it feels like another country or North Africa.”

“The left has given up on some issues. What concerns us is immigration, security, access to housing and job stability.”

In Catalonia, the popularity of the right-wing Catalan independence party, Alianza Catalunya, formed in 2020, has surged, with a poll showing the party would easily win 10-14 seats in the Spanish parliament if elections were held immediately.

Analysts say that, like Reform in Britain, Vox is attracting public support because its populist message on issues such as immigration is popular with young people.

Spain’s socialist-led coalition government has been in power since 2018.

As parties like Vox have begun to play politics of popularity on anti-immigrant sentiment among some young people, the anti-immigrant wave in Spain, like in other European countries, is likely to influence the upcoming elections.