33% of Young People Favour Authoritarianism - Now What?
Rejuvenating our democracy is the ONLY sensible solution
Britain's electoral system has driven a full third of young people towards authoritarianism. Only fundamental reform can reverse this dangerous trend, and restore faith in democracy.
Last week, there was much to celebrate for 18-year-olds up and down the country. A-Level results were published on Thursday, and showed record numbers of pupils receiving the grades for their first choice university, with the proportion of grades above a ‘C’ higher than any year outside of COVID.
But two days earlier, polling from the Adam Smith Institute produced deeply concerning data showing how young people feel about our current political system. The headline finding of the ASI report indicates that 33% of 18-30-year-olds would now prefer an authoritarian system of government to one which acts within the current democratic framework. More specifically, this third of young people answered that they would “prefer an authoritarian system led by a decisive figure, even if it meant sacrificing some democratic freedoms”.
The size of this figure should set alarm bells ringing - for all of us. This data signals a large (and growing) rejection not only of democracy, but of the very principles upon which modern Britain is established, and which we have gone to war several times to protect. From the Magna Carta in 1215, to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 - Britain has been at the forefront of the fight to ensure the triumph of right over wrong, good over evil, and democracy over autocracy. That our young people are now losing faith in the most fundamental feature of our society - and to such a significant degree - suggests more than youthful rebellion or political naivety.
What’s really driving this?
To me, it suggests a younger generation that is having to live every day with the consequences of our openly dysfunctional political system, and is simply responding to the fact it has systematically excluded their voices and ignored their concerns.
As a 22-year-old who spends most of his waking hours thinking and writing about how we can create a democracy that works for everyone, I find this data incredibly disturbing. To think that I am part of a demographic that can even contemplate such an extreme and dangerous shift in our established way of life is, frankly, frightening. But I can see where the frustration comes from when our current system seems incapable of delivering even the basics a young person like me needs to build a stable and productive life.
Other data collected by the ASI suggests it is this dissatisfaction and frustration that underpins the headline. Before being asked about authoritarianism as an alternative, fewer than half of the young respondents said they support the current democratic system (48%) and 59% said they believed politicians are failing to addressing the issues that matter most to them.
It’s not just party political
Dig further into the data and you find that this isn't just partisan dissatisfaction either. 54% of young Labour voters and 52% of young Conservatives share this profound disillusionment. When supporters of the parties which have governed so recently feel completely unheard, it’s clear the problem lies not within specific parties or individual politicians, but with our political system at large.
I can tell you, too, that the ASI data isn’t in any way at odds with what I and my Open Britain colleagues hear every day - whether when speaking with OB supporters, reading comments on these Ugly Politix Substacks, or doing street interviews with the general public (as we did recently in Clacton and Durham). Young people simply do not believe politics is working for them.
And who can blame them? Economic report after economic report shows that it has never been more expensive to rent, let alone own a home. It’s never been so difficult to access support for mental health issues (a particular problem for that generation hit by COVID at such a formative stage of life). And, in a week when so many young people should be looking forward to further education, far too many will be wondering whether accepting half a lifetime or more in debt is worth doing when steady jobs are so hard to find and the cost of living so high.
Our hollow democracy
Increasingly, the UK is a democracy in name only, a hollow democracy. One which, in reality, enables governments to ignore the will of the people and avoid implementing policies supported by the majority of the electorate. Last week, my colleague, Rose, wrote an excellent Substack about how our First-Past-the-Post electoral system strangles the policies voters want to see, using the example of a wealth tax to illustrate her point. This policy brick wall is an issue for all voters but it has particular resonance for the young, and especially the one-and-a-half million or so 16 and 17-year-olds who will soon be given a vote. Inviting them to vote in a system that will simply ignore their wishes seems like an unusually cruel trick and a very poor way of rebuilding public trust in politics.
It’s beyond question that First-Past-the-Post bears the most direct responsibility for this crisis. It allows governments to claim mandates they do not have. It delivers huge majorities with minority support. And, in doing so, it erodes fundamental public trust in our politics and politicians. (Little wonder that politics now holds the dubious honour of being among the very least trusted professions.)
First-Past-the-Post is a voting system which has never truly represented the British people, but now, with the authoritarians at the gate, it poses an undeniable existential threat to our democracy.
So, where do we go from here?
The best chance we have to restore hope amongst this generation is not to reject our democracy, but to rejuvenate it completely, and make it more resilient. One key step in that direction would be the establishment of a National Commission on Electoral Reform (NCER) as recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections. An NCER would be a prudent first step towards identifying an alternative system that would ensure that seats in the Commons reflected the proportion of votes cast for each party, that everyone has an equal say in how they are governed, and that large swathes of the population can’t simply be ignored. As an independent, citizen-focussed body, informed by experts who understand the ins-and-outs of this complex field, the NCER would be able to find a fairer way forward that will allow us to start the job of fixing this country’s deep-rooted problems.
My generation will be as eager as any to engage in a democracy like that.
Countries with Proportional Representation systems consistently demonstrate higher levels of democratic satisfaction, political engagement, and policy responsiveness to public opinion. When voters see their preferences translated into parliamentary representation, they maintain faith in democratic governance - and are less likely to see authoritarianism as the answer to all their woes.
A proportional voting system won’t bring solutions to all our problems overnight. But, over time, with everyone’s voice heard and every vote counting, those problems can be worked through in a way that is reasonable and balanced, with outcomes that are fairer.
A warning our government should not ignore
One thing we can be sure of: Our problems won’t be solved through the empty promises of the authoritarian populism spouted by Reform UK and Nigel Farage.
Just a day or two after this ASI report was published, Farage was arguing that Prime Ministers should be able to pack their Cabinets with (unelected) “business leaders” from outside of Parliament…no doubt prompted by the awesome “expertise” on display in Donald Trump’s Cabinet. The irony will not be lost on those who remember the “unelected bureaucrats in Brussels” driver behind Farage’s last big con…Brexit.
I am in no doubt that the data published in the ASI report will be music to the ears of Farage, particularly the statistic that 50% of his own young supporters would back authoritarianism over democracy. Farage has built his political career on exploiting the gap between what voters want and what the electoral system delivers. Reform is benefitting from the deep cracks in our democracy, and these can only be repaired by true electoral reform - adopting a system that makes people a genuine part of the decisions that affect their lives.
Democracy must always triumph over authoritarianism. But for this to happen, we must actually do something to create a democracy worthy of the belief of the British people. If Farage does become our next Prime Minister, we may look back and wonder how our government could read reports like the one from the Adam Smith Institute and do nothing.
A change in the voting system might help, but it might not (cf Israel, Germany, The Netherlands).
What we really need are lobby groups for young people, workers and other disadvantaged groups). In the 1980s and 90s there was much talk of "pensioner poverty" (which if course still exists), and policy very much shifted to protecting pensioners & property owners (who unsurprisingly are older) - triple lock, free travel, ISAs, pension "freedom", council tax.
30 years later these accumulated gains have been very much at the expense of young people as you quite rightly identify.
If I remember, there was a candidate in 2017 who offered to reverse these policies and promote some in favour of younger people and workers who did very well tho not well enough. One Jeremy Corbyn. Personally, I was not a fan of his, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.
What young people need is to organise. Put pressure on their MPs. It really should be easy - there are loads in universities where there is a high concentration of young voters. It's not like you're trying to find a herd of unicorns.
I'd give the same advice to any marginalised group. Organise. Make your case. Join or start a political party.
If this sounds like pie in the sky, then the real question is: why are young people so unwilling to push their own interests, especially when they seem so adept at pushing those of marginalised communities in other countries?
Deeply concerning, indeed. But will Westminster act upon this information? Or will it allow the ghastly Farage and his equally ghastly entourage take over? Churchill will be rotating in his grave!