47 per cent agreed with the statement ‘the entire way our society is organised must be radically changed through revolution’ – and after a lifetime of economic stagnation, is anyone surprised?
New research carried out by Channel 4 has found that more than half of Gen Z believe Britain should be ruled by a dictator.
The survey found that 52 per cent of Gen Z – people aged between 13 and 27 – said they thought “the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”.
Relatedly, a third (33 per cent) suggested that the UK would be better off “if the army was in charge”. 47 per cent agreed with the statement “the entire way our society is organised must be radically changed through revolution” – while just 33 per cent of 45- to 65-year-olds said the same. The findings tally with previous research which has found that young people are more likely to have doubts about the merits of democracy.
It should be no surprise that Gen Z have questions about the effectiveness of the political system: while the UK is technically a democracy, research published by the Electoral Reform Society last year found that more than 100 ‘safe’ parliamentary seats have been held for a century or more by one party, meaning “huge swathes of the country are effectively competition-free zones” where voting is pointless. So it’s little wonder that people are losing faith in the electoral system when it stifles any attempt to bring about real change.
52 per cent of Gen Z said they thought “the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”
Plus, many young people are experiencing unprecedented stagnation. While previous generations might have reasonably expected to outearn their parents, new data shows baby boomers are getting richer at the fastest rate of any generation and are now 33 times wealthier than Gen Z. With house prices and living costs soaring, many are desperate for something – anything! – to change.
The findings also highlighted the stark ideological gender divide among young people. Almost half (45 per cent) of male respondents aged 13 to 27 said they agreed with the statement “we have gone so far in promoting women's equality that we are discriminating against men'”. A similar proportion agreed that “when it comes to giving women equal rights, things have gone far enough”.
42 per cent of male respondents included Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson as “top influences”, while 58 per cent of all Gen Z respondents said they considered social media posts from friends to be as – and sometimes more – trusted than established journalism.
Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said the results “should concern us all”. Speaking of Gen Z, she said: “They are media savvy, switched on and smart, but have been exposed to the full force of the polarising, confusing and sometimes willfully since they were born [...] Gen Z curate their own understanding of ‘the truth’. For many, this is exacerbating societal tensions and undermining the value of democracy.”
The figures, based on a sample of 3,000 adults of all ages, come from polling company Craft and will be published at a Royal Television Society event on Thursday.