Economy, Not 'Post‑Materialism'

Contemporary rightward swings and 'culture‑war' salience are often downstream effects of material stress—high consumer prices, rising interest rates, and precarious local labour markets—rather than an autonomous shift to identity‑first politics. Voter attention and turnout patterns change when household pocketbooks tighten, which then makes cultural themes politically salient as transports for material grievances. — Re-centering material conditions as the primary driver shifts policy focus from culture‑war policing to economic stabilization, targeted relief, and localized labour policy to arrest partisan realignment.