Reports of young men’s rightward shift overstated, new IPPR study finds

• Number of young men supporting right wing parties has decreased, while number supporting progressives is on the rise 
• IPPR says age, not gender, is defining fault line as young men more progressive on immigration, culture war issues, and sexism
• IPPR urges government to give places in House of Lords to young people  

The widespread perception that young men are turning towards right-wing politics is not supported by the evidence, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which finds that young men have become more progressive over the past decade while young women have moved even further left. 

Analysis by the think tank shows that while the number of young women, who intend to vote, supporting progressive parties has increased from 67 per cent in 2014 to 82 per cent in 2025, the number of young men supporting right wing parties has actually decreased from 42 per cent to 28 per cent. 

Contrary to the common belief that young men in the UK are being radicalised en masse by far-right populism, the number of young men, who intend to vote, supporting progressive parties has increased from 56 per cent in 2014 to 70 per cent in 2025. 

The authors say that while there are some young men shifting rightward, the analysis reveals that this is at a lower rate than older generations of men, who are more likely to vote Reform. The researchers say this demonstrates that it is age, not gender, where the largest political rift lies in British politics.  

With just 42 per cent of Brits over the age of 56 backing progressive parties, the generational gap in support for progressive parties between younger and older voters is three times larger than the gender gap among young men and women. 

Across a range of social and culture war issues - such as inclusivity, sexism, and immigration - young men were the most progressive male cohort. For instance, young men were more likely to say immigration is good for the economy than any older male generations. 

But researchers found that young people are united in a shared sense of alienation from British politics.  

Against a backdrop of rising living costs, insecure work, overstretched public services and the growth of social media, young people have never been more attuned to the injustices they face, with high levels of interest in politics. But this heightened awareness has been accompanied by a growing belief that the state is unable, or unwilling, to address them. 

Authors argue that this so-called youth engagement paradox is a matter of political urgency. To tackle this, IPPR urges the government to reimagine politics for young people and remove barriers in political participation, or risk continuing to alienate an entire generation, by: 

• Creating a Youth Interest Committee in the House of Lords to scrutinise all legislation for its impact on young people, with seats for young people nominated through schools 

• Reversing over a decade of disinvestment in youth services by channelling revenues from Online Safety Act fines and the Digital Services Tax towards local youth provision 

• Reforming democratic education beyond the classroom with mandatory community engagement for students, including volunteering or attendance at town hall meetings 

Chris Bick, senior research fellow at IPPR, says: 

"The idea that young men are marching to the right has become a popular political story but it's wrong. Young men today are more progressive than many people assume, and far more progressive than older generations of men. 

The real divide in British politics isn't between young men and young women. It's between young people and everyone else.  

While younger generations are increasingly engaged with politics, too many feel politics isn't listening. If we want to restore faith in democracy, young people need a seat at the table and a voice in the rooms where decisions are made." 

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITORS  

1. The report, A generation apart? Youth politics, alienation and democratic renewal in Britain, by Dr Chris Bick, Pascale Frazer-Carroll and Jasmine Jinadu, is available athttps://www.ippr.org/articles/a-generation-apart
2. Methodology:The report was developed using a mixed methods approach that combined quantitative analysis of British Election Study data and qualitative research gathered in a series of participatory workshops with 18-25-year-olds from across Britain.