Democracy is Failing the Young – No Wonder They Want Change

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Britain today is not merely experiencing a crisis of politics, but a deeper crisis of legitimacy. The challenge isn’t finding examples to illustrate this—it’s narrowing them down. Take immigration: despite multiple electoral mandates to reduce numbers in 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019, Boris Johnson’s administration introduced policies that saw net migration soar to 906,000.

 

Or consider the asylum system, where Channel-crossing migrants are placed in taxpayer-funded hotels and given priority access to the NHS, while waiting lists for British citizens have ballooned to 7.5 million cases. Then there is the disturbing reality of grooming gangs operating for years with the full knowledge of authorities who feared intervention might incite social unrest. Some parents attempting to rescue their daughters were even arrested, while police found time to pursue individuals making “offensive” online comments about convicted criminals. Crime more broadly presents a dismal picture, with law enforcement failing to solve a single burglary, personal theft, or stolen bike case in 30% of the country.

 

Economic underperformance may be the most pressing concern of all. Real wages remain below their 2008 peak, inflation has battered economies worldwide, the tax burden has reached a 70-year high, and house prices have skyrocketed. The median home in England and Wales now costs over eight times the average income—compared to 3.5 times in the late 1990s. According to the Resolution Foundation, a young household in 1997 could save for a deposit in around three years with 5% of their income; today, two young graduates would need closer to 14 years.

 

Given this reality, young people’s growing disillusionment with democracy should not come as a shock. Support for democratic governance has been declining across the Anglosphere for decades, both within and between generations. Generation Z finds itself governed by a system that appears indifferent to their interests and incapable of meaningful change. The democratic process is functioning as designed—just not in their favor.

 

So far, the backlash has largely been limited to disgruntled polling responses and online rhetoric. However, an increasingly frustrated generation shut out of homeownership and burdened by rising costs poses a long-term risk to stability. With little to lose, they may be more willing to take a chance on radical alternatives.

 

If liberal democratic capitalism is mired in stagnation, a system that is less liberal and less democratic could become more appealing. This could manifest as support for a strong American-style leader, inspired by Donald Trump’s executive orders. It might lead to another surge in support for a Jeremy Corbyn-like figure, promising sweeping nationalizations and council housing. Or it could take an even more drastic form.

 

If politicians want to prevent this, they should stop asking what young people can do for the state—and start asking what the state has done for them.

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2025-02-01