Young people and socialism
There are several overlapping reasons why younger people often find socialism appealing, and one of the leading ones is their idealism and openness to new ideas. Younger people tend to be more open to radical or alternative systems because they haven’t yet invested decades into a particular economic or social order. They are more willing to imagine and support big systemic changes, partly because they haven’t been discouraged by repeated political compromises.
They have had limited exposure to the downsides of implementation. Having less direct experience with the real-world challenges of governance and economics means that theory can loom larger than practice. The idea of an equitable, co-operative society is appealing before one has seen the complexities of resource allocation, incentives, and human behavior at scale.
Discontent with the status quo features strongly. Young people often enter adulthood during periods of high inequality, job insecurity, or unaffordable housing. Socialism’s promises of fairer distribution and stronger social safety nets resonate strongly in that context. They may see capitalism’s competitive pressures as a cause of environmental degradation, burnout, and social fragmentation.
Socialism often frames itself in moral terms such as solidarity, fairness and community, which align with the younger generation’s increasing concern with social justice, climate change, and global inequality. A co-operative, less competitive vision can feel like a humane alternative to ‘everyone out for themselves.’
Cultural and educational exposure is a factor. Many students first encounter socialism in classrooms through political theory, history, and debates, which can be presented by teachers as a noble or at least intriguing alternative. In some countries, younger generations are more exposed to progressive media, online activism, and international examples of social-democratic policies.
Youth attraction to socialism is partly about being influenced by appealing theories without full experience of the implementation challenges, and partly about hoping for a more co-operative, less competitive society, but it is also fuelled by generational frustration with existing systems, and moral aspirations.
They see an imperfect world and seek ways to improve it. The clean lines of socialist theory cut across the messy and seemingly cluttered state of the real world. The idealism is admirable, but would be better directed to seeking changes that work instead of the rainbow’s end of a socialist paradise that always eludes us.
Madsen Pirie