The belief that young people are socially aware, committed to equality, and a strong support base for liberal progressives is being challenged in many countries worldwide.
Today's youth no longer exclusively embrace left-wing ideology; the phenomenon of young right-wing individuals has become a global trend that political analysts are closely monitoring.
The U.S. magazine Jacobin published an analysis stating that the left or democratic side often indulges in the myth that young people must always be progressive and their reliable voter base, relying mainly on superficial statistics showing over 62% of American youth view socialism positively.
In reality, Gen Z's political ideologies are more complex, diverse, and independent than previously thought.
A survey by Gallup in collaboration with the Walton Family Foundation late last year revealed that more than 14% of teenagers aged 13-17 identify as more conservative than their parents, doubling the proportion compared to Millennial youth 20 years ago.
This aligns with a report from Shor’s Blue Rose Research indicating that Donald Trump secured at least 50% of the vote among U.S. voters under 20 in his second presidential term from nearly every demographic group except Black women.
Moreover, white male teenagers without a university degree gave Trump a notably high 67% vote share. These figures not only challenge progressive assumptions but also reveal a gender gap within the younger generation.
While Gen Z women tend to lean left, their male peers are rapidly shifting rightward, a pattern clearly visible in many countries, such as young men in South Korea voting for conservative presidents.
These numbers reflect the phenomenon of Political Hybridity. Today's youth do not fully embrace absolute left- or right-wing ideologies; they can support abortion rights and LGBTQ+ diversity while simultaneously consuming conservative influencer content without contradiction.
The shift of some youth toward conservatism is not due to lost conviction but a response to pressures such as economic vulnerability, overwhelming debt from schooling, prolonged wars, and structural systems that hinder quality growth.
Christina Erouela Lane, a research assistant at Harvard University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, noted that key factors influencing Gen Z voting patterns include dissatisfaction with the economy and immigration management.
Worryingly, youth confidence in democratic institutions is declining; they feel disillusioned with a free-market system that fails to plug gaps or deliver tangible outcomes effectively.
This fear of an uncertain future significantly fuels the rise of far-right movements in Europe, evident in the AfD party’s sweeping victory among first-time young voters in Germany.
European youth do not vote for far-right parties out of old-fashioned racism but due to fears over unemployment, housing crises, and perceptions that liberal governments cannot protect their quality of life. The far right capitalizes on this by offering seemingly simple, decisive solutions attractive to desperate youth.
Furthermore, the right has rebranded itself as a new form of rebellion for youth. Liberalism or leftism is seen as boring and overly politically correct, while right-wing affiliation has become a rebellious challenge to new social norms.
Right-wing influencers in the U.S. use memes and dark humor to attract youth, framing right-wing identity as freedom from stifling moral rules. They increasingly listen to youths’ anxieties about health, the economy, and burnout.
In the Thai political context, TikTok clips glorifying historical roots resonate well with politically fatigued youth. When the right makes young people feel understood and accepted in their pain, it gradually channels their frustrations toward safe solutions tied to longstanding cultural heritage.
Rather than demanding difficult and costly structural overhaul, this content offers safe spaces and emotional healing, sparing youth from exhausting themselves by questioning or confronting entrenched power structures.
If democrats or the left want to transform youth energy into sustainable political movements, relying solely on electoral victories or moral ideological certainty is no longer sufficient.
It is crucial to engage with and understand the real-life dimensions of youth survival, livelihoods, emotions, and physical exhaustion before authoritarian and conservative forces quietly reclaim them into the old system’s embrace.
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