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More than half of Gen Z believe Britain should be ruled by a dictator and one in three want the army in charge, a new poll has revealed.
The findings for Channel 4 also suggest the emergence of a stark gender divide among young people and a generation that is simultaneously liberal and authoritarian.
It comes as 52 per cent of Gen Z – people aged between 13 and 27 – said they thought ‘the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament and elections’.
A total of 33 per cent suggested the UK would be better off ‘if the army was in charge’ while 47 per cent agreed ‘the entire way our society is organised must be radically changed through revolution’.
This compared with 33 per cent of 45 to 65-year-olds. The figures, based on a sample of 3,000 adults of all ages, come from polling company Craft and will be published at a Royal Television Society event on Thursday.
They also reveal 45 per cent of male respondents aged 13 to 27 believe ‘we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men’. A similar proportion agreed that ‘when it comes to giving women equal rights, things have gone far enough’.
Perhaps a reflection of the influence of platforms like TikTok, 58 per cent of Gen Z respondents said they considered social media posts from friends to be as – and sometimes more – trusted than established journalism.
While 20th century dictators like Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy were not directly cited, top influences listed by 42 per cent of male respondents did include Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.
Top influences cited by 42 per cent of male respondents included Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson (pictured)
Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)
Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said the results ‘should concern us all’.
She added of Gen Z: ‘They are media savvy, switched on and smart, but have been exposed to the full force of the polarising, confusing and sometimes willfully since they were born.
‘Gen Z curate their own understanding of ‘the truth’. For many, this is exacerbating societal tensions and undermining the value of democracy.’
Alluding to the gender divide, an 18-year-old male from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said: ‘The people we watch, they propagate this idea that the West is a falling civilisation, and you need to start looking at other places.’
The new findings follow a separate poll published in the FGS Global Radar report earlier this month that found both Millennials – people aged 29 – 44 – and Gen Z were more in favour than older generations of a country run by someone who ‘doesn’t have to bother with elections’.
The stronger phrasing, which deemed the system ‘the best’ compared to the more recent poll’s phrasing of ‘better’, was still met with a total of 21 per cent of Gen Z and 20 per cent of Millennials who agreed with the premise which compared to just 8 per cent of Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964.
There was a divide in support for the so-called ‘nanny state’. Almost half of under 35s supported the use of tax and regulation to encourage healthier eating, but older voters disagreed.
More research at the start of the new year from SEGA Europe Limited suggested 60 per cent of Gen Z thought Adele is fit to be Queen.
And in October last year a Daily Mail poll revealed a fifth of Gen Z Americans believed Hitler had ‘some good ideas’.
