The Anxious Generation - An Authoritarian Turn?
New polling reveals young people are deeply pessimistic about the future of the UK.
As part of a series of polls into 18-30-year-olds, dubbed the Anxious Generation, Adam Smith Insights has explored young Britons’ views of our political system.
The nationally representative poll of 18-30-year-olds reveals shocking levels of disillusionment with both political leaders and democratic institutions. The findings show that a significant number of young people no longer believe democracy is working and many would prefer a system where leaders can act without checks and balances.
According to the polling, a full third (33%) of 18-30 year olds say they would prefer an authoritarian system led by a decisive figure, even if it meant sacrificing some democratic freedoms. Just under half (48%) express clear support for the current democratic system.
Across all parties polled, young Labour and Conservative voters are on the same page. Over a third of 18-30-year-old voters from both parties say they would prefer an authoritarian system to our democratic one. But Reform voters are more adamant - half of them would prefer to sacrifice some freedoms for an authoritarian with fast decision-making ability.
It is unsurprising that so many young people feel disillusioned with the status quo. 59% of 18-30-year-olds believe politicians are not addressing the issues that matter most to them.
And this dissatisfaction cuts across party lines. Among 18-30-year-olds, 54% of Labour voters, 52% of Conservative voters and a striking 66% of Reform voters expressed discontent with how politicians are handling the most important issues.
This polling shows that trust in democratic institutions cannot be taken for granted. Anxious about their future and let down by Britain’s political class, more and more young people are questioning whether the current system can deliver stability or opportunity. With the Government announcing plans to extend the franchise to 16 year-olds, this polling raises serious questions about whether younger voters support the system they’re being invited to join.
KEY FINDINGS:
A third of young people prefer authoritarianism over democracy
33% would prefer an authoritarian system with a strong leader who can act quickly, even at the cost of democratic freedoms.
48% still prefer the current democratic system, while 20% remain undecided.
Support for authoritarianism is strongest among young Reform voters
50% of 18-30-year-olds who voted for Reform in 2024 would prefer an authoritarian system with a leader who could make decisions quickly, even at the cost of some democratic freedoms.
Only 33% of 18-30-year-olds who voted Reform in 2024 prefer the current democratic system.
34% of 18-30-year-olds who voted Labour in 2024 and 39% of 18-30-year-olds who voted for the Conservatives would support an authoritarian system.
59% of 18–30-year-olds feel that politicians are not addressing the issues that matter most.
White 18-30-year-olds show the highest levels of disillusionment, with a 62% expressing dissatisfaction with politicians.
Black 18-30-year-olds show the highest levels of satisfaction with only 34% expressing dissatisfaction with politicians.
Among young people, this disillusionment is cross-party.
54% of 18-30-year-old Labour voters are dissatisfied with how politicians address key issues.
52% of 18-30-year-olds Conservative voters share this dissatisfaction.
66% of 18-30-year-olds Reform voters feel the same way.
Methodology:
Adam Smith Insights ran a poll on behalf of its sister think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, of a nationally representative sample of GB adults:
Nationally representative poll of UK 18 - 30 year olds in the UK.
Poll conducted via online panels
Field dates 8 July – 10 July 2025
N = 1338
Poll weighted to population targets to match GB 18-30 year old population profile across age, gender, region, ethnicity, and 2024 general election vote using ONS 2021 Census data, age-by-vote distributions derived from Ipsos’s post-election analysis: “How Britain voted in the 2024 election”, national vote share data from the Electoral Reform Society’s 2024 general election results, and YouGov/BES polling.
The poll results, with a median completion time of approximately 5 minutes, has a margin of error of ±2.7%.
Respondents were filtered for completion quality (e.g., straight-lining, speeding), and responses with incomplete or invalid data were excluded from analysis. No imputation was applied.