More than a third of young voters now believe the UK should be ruled by the military instead of parliament, according to a survey in Huffpost.
A poll for Onward – an influential Tory think-tank – found that the country is in the midst of a move away from liberal democratic values, with voters now prioritising the protection leaders can offer them.
The survey of 5,000 people found that 65% of Brits now want a society that focuses on giving people more security rather than one dedicated to giving people more freedom – a sentiment that was echoed across every age group, ethnicity and social background.
But it was young people who emerged as the most in favour of authoritarian models of government.
Not only did 36% of voters aged 25 to 34 say they would be in favour of the army running the country, but two-thirds said they supported strong leaders “who do not have to bother with parliament”.
Finally, around a quarter of this group (26%) said they thought democracy was a bad way to run the country.
Other findings included:
- 71% of people think more people living in cities has made society worse
- 61% of voters believe jobs and wages have been made worse by technological change
- 59% said increases in immigration have had a negative effect on the economy, compared to 41% who said they have had a positive impact
- two-thirds of voters said that more people going to university instead of getting technical qualifications has been a bad thing for the country overall
