Do you notice a generation gap between left and right politics?
It's certainly true here in the UK, especially if you go off the voting patterns of the last election.
Yes, its traditionally been the case that younger people lean left anyway but this is much much more pronounced than the historic average. In the 1983 UK election, Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives were the most popular party among the young 18-24 age bracket vote has been over 30% for that party in almost every election. These days, Corbyn's Labour Party dominates the youth vote and 'Centrist Dad' is used as a semi-serious insult by leftists on Twitter.
I know that Bernie Sanders has most of his popularity with the young in America and I would not be surprised to find a similar situation internationally.
Is this a temporary thing or a growing trend? Is it down to the changing material conditions amongst the young or social attitudes?
I think it's been this way in the USA for a long time! I remember a Poli-Sci professor telling us [back when the Earth was still cooling] that young people voted with their hearts - wanting to help people. The older they got, and they realized that no one was actually being helped by the liberal programs, they voted with their mind [conservative] as they got older.
@Writer I'm not sure it's short-sighted in a sense. Baby Boomers are much more likely to have property and much less likely to have debts. Though yeah, I think the fact that the younger generation are more socially liberal is big factor.
In my town in Canada the left is a bit odd demographic wise. The traditional parties including the communist and socialists are largely gray haired. Yet nationally the youth wing of the communist party was revived after demand from high school students. That being said groups like the IWW seem to be benefiting most from younger blood. The majority of young people seem to like the ideology but see the old parties as no longer viable and I am starting to agree with them.
@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow I'm involved with left Labour politics over here and when I go to meetings, I'm usually about ten years older and twenty years younger than everyone else there LOL.
A lot of older lefties are veterans of past struggles and got re-involved because of Corbyn. The younger ones are new to politics. My generation is the most de-politicised because our youth and political education coincided with the ideological and political dominance of neo-liberalism.
@curiosi Ivy league doesn't mean much anymore and has not for decades. All admission requires is a big check and some of the faculty are clueless about the world. There was a show in Canada that got Harvard professors to sign a petition to end the Vancouver polar bear hunt. I mean how dense can you be.
@Burnley123 i think its just human nature in general. from what i have heard it is similar in other countries as well. i have friends in iran and they tell me that the older generation is far more conservative there as well. same in India.
