It’s probably no surprise that most young people view “socialism” positively. After all, in a cost-of-living and housing crisis, putting social needs over profits makes sense.
The June 24 YouGov poll asked if Australia should be “more socialist or capitalist”?
It found a majority of young people opted for the former: 53% of 18–24-year-olds think Australia should be more socialist, while just 22% think it should be more capitalist. A quarter were neutral.
There was a “stark difference” between people aged 34 and under and those over 35, with 41% of 18–34-year-olds favouring socialism. Only 21% of people aged 35 and older supported socialism, with 44% remaining neutral and 34% favouring capitalism.
Why do young people prefer socialism compared to older generations? According to Paul Smith, YouGov’s Director of Public Affairs and Public Data, it comes down to the drastically different economic conditions young people are experiencing.
He believes young people prefer socialism because of their “very different experience of entering the workforce after the 2008 financial crisis”. He said that paying more for housing and education, without the secure, well-paid jobs that older people generally enjoyed, had an influence.
This partially explains the results. Young people have to navigate a highly casualised work environment and have very little chance of owning a home, let alone finding affordable rentals (unless they inherit).
The privatisation of public assets means many vital services, including healthcare, are at breaking point.
For most young people, the growing inequality between the haves and have-nots shows how stacked the system is against them.
Young people also know about the existential climate emergency threat, having studied the science at school. They are angry and frustrated with governments refusing to take meaningful action.
The movement across schools for real action to address the climate emergency is an expression of this anger, as is the widespread climate anxiety felt by young people around the world.
In addition, the devastation and horror in Gaza that young people see every day on their social media feeds has led to many questioning the capitalist system that relies on and promotes war.
Government and establishment media efforts to justify or whitewash the genocide fall on deaf ears as most young people get their news and information elsewhere, including from direct sources.
Young people are also actively looking for political alternatives. The falling vote of the major parties is, at least in part, due to almost a third of people voting for minor parties or independent candidates at the 2022 federal election. This trend is also visible in other countries such as Britain.
The notion that young people vote left and become more conservative as they age has also started to shift, as revealed by an Australian Electoral Study in February.
Unsurprisingly, the YouGov poll found that Greens voters were more in favour of socialism (64%), while Labor (31%) and the Coalition (12%) were less so.
While it did not ask what participants meant by “more socialism” — which would likely include varied ideas — the results broadly indicate a desire for a political system that puts people and the planet ahead of corporate profits.
The concepts of public housing, expanded public healthcare, public education and a stronger welfare system are increasingly popular among young people.
As more young people become active in the Palestine and climate movements, they become more aware of how capitalism is the root cause of the interconnected issues.
Young people will continue to be drawn to favour solutions to crises that they are experiencing.
This is particularly the case when they know full well that Australia has the resources and position to be a world leader in combating the climate emergency, seeking a just peace in the Middle East and taxing the rich for an equitable distribution of resources.
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