Living Precarity and Talking Politics. Biographies of Precarious Workers in Spain and Italy

Precarious workers—those who experience both employment instability and financial insecurity—are often seen as an emerging lower class in post-industrial societies. Recent political science literature has examined the political preferences of precarious workers, generally finding that they are more likely to abstain from voting, and when they do participate, they tend to support radical left parties (Rovny and Rovny 2017). However, there is surprisingly little research on the processes behind these patterns: how individuals experiencing precarity understand their situation, and what motivates their political choices. This study investigates how precarious workers interpret their labor market trajectories, their class identity (if any), and how they think politically. To address these questions, the study draws on ~ 50 life history interviews with precarious workers, varying in education, occupation, age, and gender, conducted in Italy and Spain (~25 per country) during 2024.

The findings, as of now, reveal three types of precarious workers. The first group exhibits (techno-) populist tendencies, expressing distrust towards political figures and largely abstaining from elections. They demonstrate low political competence, tend to normalize their precarity, and struggle to conceptualize themselves in terms of social class. In this case, precarity extends beyond the labor market to permeate all aspects of life, leading to political alienation. The second group holds leftist political views, possesses medium to high political competence, and is relatively comfortable thinking of themselves in class terms. This group, typically more educated, links precarity to frustrated aspirations of achieving middle-class security. A third, more intermediate group combines social populist ideas (centered on dignity) with political despair and/or skepticism. While they can thoughtfully assess which parties and policies would benefit them, they are hesitant to believe that their situation can meaningfully improve.