Gen Z is Embracing Dictatorships

Generation Z Americans, aged from 18-25, are substantially more likely than older generations to support a "strong leader" who rules without regard for Congress or courts, according to a survey conducted exclusively for Newsweek.

The poll also found younger Americans are the most prepared to give up "some democratic powers" if it results in more effective government and are less likely to think military rule would be bad for the country.

It comes amid growing concern about the health of American democracy following the contested 2020 presidential election, with one prominent political scientist telling Newsweek the country is "at a crossroads between democracy and autocracy."

Over the past few months both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican candidates respectively for the 2024 presidential election, have suggested the other represents a threat to democracy. Biden in January claimed the 2024 presidential election is "all about" whether American democracy survives while last month Trump said "I don't think you're going to have another election in this country" unless he wins in November.

Redfield & Wilton Strategies polled 1,500 eligible voters across the U.S. for Newsweek on February 10. In total 40 percent of Gen Z Americans agreed that "rule by a strong leader, where a strong leader can make decisions without interference from the legislature or from the courts" would be a good system of government for the U.S., versus 27 percent who thought it would be bad.

Among millennials, aged 27-42, 35 percent endorsed this type of government against 31 percent who were opposed. Notably a majority of Generation X, aged 43-58, and those from the boomer and silent generations, aged 59 and over, were opposed to such authoritarian leadership.

In total 30 percent of Gen X Americans said "rule by a strong leader" who can ignore Congress and the courts would be good for the country, against 43 percent who thought it would be bad. Among the boomer and silent generations just 18 percent thought this would be good, against 60 percent for bad.

Separately, 51 percent of Gen Z agreed with the statement that they would be "willing to give up some democratic powers if it made government function more effectively" against just 17 percent who were opposed. The statement was also backed by millennials, with 42 percent agreeing and 24 percent disagreeing.

However, the statement was opposed by 34 percent of Gen Z and 53 percent of boomers/silent generation, against 29 percent and 20 percent, respectively, who supported it.

Speaking to Newsweek Joel Westheimer, an expert in democratic ideals at the University of Ottawa, said youth discontent with American democracy is likely a response to increased partisanship and deadlock in Congress and the threat from climate change.

He said: "When we tally what an allegedly democratic system of governance has delivered for young people, it may seem unsurprising that their commitments to the system that previous generations took for granted are shaky.

"While many youth and young adults were coming of age as observers of the political scene, democratic governance did not seem to be working very well: In 2013 and 2018, an increasingly partisan and dysfunctional U.S. Congress, unable to compromise or pass legislation, led to government shutdowns of 16 and 35 days, respectively; climate change threatens to make the planet virtually uninhabitable, and, globally, government actions to mitigate the threat have been mostly dysfunctional."

Westheimer added: "The decline of commitments to democracy, especially among young people, keeps me up at night. It is not hyperbole to suggest that we are at a crossroads between democracy and autocracy for both America and many once-stable democracies around the globe."

Cynthia Arnson, a distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center think tank, said the new poll supports what other surveys have shown about youth support for democracy in the Americas.

She said: "The U.S. polling tracks with results from throughout the Americas, where support for democracy is especially low among young people and those with lower levels of education. In Latin America especially, young people born after the transition from dictatorship to democracy have no direct memory of the abuses of authoritarian regimes.

"In the United States, to be honest, the current levels of political dysfunction give young people little reason to be enthusiastic about a democratic system. What they see is gridlock, political theater, name-calling, brinksmanship. This is the opposite of getting things done and producing results that people care about.

"The catch, however, is that young people might not realize how difficult it is to restore rights once they've been relinquished."

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll also found significantly higher opposition to the idea of military rule among older generations.

When asked whether they thought "rule by the military" would be a "good or bad system of government for the United States," 26 percent of Gen Z answered "good" against 39 percent for "bad." Among millennials 27 percent replied "good" versus 44 percent for "bad."

Older age groups were noticeably more hostile to military rule, with 15 percent of Gen X saying military rule would be good, while 63 percent thought it would be bad. For boomers/silent generation just 9 percent said it would be good, against 73 percent for bad.

Speaking to Newsweek Professor Barbara Wejnert, a sociologist and expert in global democracy at the University at Buffalo, suggested Gen Z is more hostile towards what it views as dysfunctional government rather than democracy itself.

She said: "Seeing the polarization and stalemate in our House of Representatives, almost not passed budget and shut down government, not passed bi-partisan immigration reform that favored Republican requests, the question is more likely referring to dysfunctional government not so much autocracy. In my opinion, it does not reflect democracy (unless the younger generation does not understand its meaning, which again shows that we, educators, are failing), but it asks about a dysfunctional, polarized government.

"I truly think that Gen Z is referring not to authoritarianism but to the stalemate at the Congress or Senate or both."

Trump is continuing to insist the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him despite this claim being repeatedly rejected in the courts and by independent election experts.

On January 6, 2021, hundreds of his supporters stormed Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Biden's election win being officially certified. Trump has been criminally charged over allegations he broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and claims the allegations against him are politically motivated.