More than half of Gen Z think the UK should be ruled by a dictator, a study has claimed.
The political landscape feels more volatile than ever in the UK and around the world, with discontent growing in many places.
The UK has struggled in recent to provide a leader that the population can get behind, leading to much of the younger generation believing that the country would be better off with an iron-fisted dictator.
In a poll conducted for Channel 4’s ‘Gen Z: Trends, Truth and Trust’, 52 per cent of people aged between 13 and 27 said that “the UK should be ruled by a dictator.”
Meanwhile the study also found that one in three young people want the army in charge of the country.
Furthermore, 47 per cent agreed “the entire way our society is organised must be radically changed through revolution”.
The study was undertaken by Craft, and based on a sample of 3000 adults of all ages and revealed a “growing gender divide” among the younger generation.
This was highlighted by the fact 45 per cent of young men agreed that “we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men”.
The younger generation were also sceptical of the media, with 58 per cent of Gen Z saying they have just as much trust in friends’ social media posts as established journalism.
At the same time influencers, including Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson, had the trust of 42% of young men.
The findings suggests a polarised generations being pushed to the extremities of the political spectrum.
Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, spoke about the data.
He said: “They are media savvy, switched on and smart, but have been exposed to the full force of the polarising, confusing and sometimes wilfully misleading nature of social media since they were born.”
“There is clear evidence of disengagement from democracy, fuelled by the online pied pipers who wilfully subvert truths, and a growing gender divide that should concern us all.”
One respondant, a 25-year-old male from Cornwall described himself as feeling targeted for being a “regular straight white man who has had a cultural advantage in the past”.
He added: “It’s swinging back the other way, to a point where we potentially risk discriminating against us in favour of people in minority groups.”
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man from Norwich backed political correctness, but said “wokeness” shouldn’t endanger free speech.
“Everyone should have the right to express themselves, as long as it’s not hate speech,” he said. “That’s why a lot of young men are confused. That’s the pipeline into the far right.”
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