Evangelicals and Support for the (Far)Right in Chile’s Rural South

This article investigates the mechanisms driving evangelical support for populist radical right parties in contemporary rural Chile. Using a mixed-methods approach, we identified Nueva Imperial—a rural municipality in the Araucanía region with a substantial evangelical population—as a typical case of the relationship between evangelical population and far-right support. Drawing on data collected through interviews, focus groups, and participant observation in rural churches, the findings reveal that rural evangelical communities are marked by strong internal cohesion and limited external connections. Perceived threats to their core Christian values, as have been present in recent years in the country, can trigger political mobilization. This mobilization, shaped by pronounced anti-establishment sentiment, is reinforced by the influential role of church leaders in guiding political preferences and consolidating conservative positions. The study concludes that evangelical support for the populist radical right arises from a complex interplay of religious beliefs, community solidarity, and political disillusionment, and not from a strong political or partisan attachment to the radical right.