The 20th century’s failed experimentations with socialism serve as a strong lesson that, despite its idealistic promises of equality, the ideology has led to nothing but oppression and poverty.
However Australian Millennials have remained relatively unaffected by socialism’s shortcomings. The oldest were aged only nine when the Berlin wall fell, and the generation have lived through a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth.
CIS commissioned YouGov-Galaxy polling reveals that Australian Millennials’ limited exposure to the horrors of socialism may be causing them to romanticize the ideology. Nearly two-thirds of the group view socialism in a favorable light, with similar number believing that capitalism has failed and more government intervention is warranted. Furthermore, Millennials contend that the government has cut its spending on social services such as education and health – something our polling shows they strongly believe should be reversed.
These results suggest that Australia sits in a similar position to other countries such as the United Kingdom and United States, where the beliefs of Millennials are driving the youth vote in a leftward direction like never before.
With Millennials now making up a third of Australian voters, and almost 35% of the global workforce, it is important to understand how these beliefs might affect the nation into the future, and to ensure that we educate them on socialism’s role in some of the greatest catastrophes in human history.