Are Americans in their late teens and early 20s actually super-reactionary? (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Ever since the election, there seems to be a torrent of polling that shows Americans in their late teens and early twenties are fairly reactionary (young men overwhelmingly so). I’m old so I don’t know anyone IRL in that age bracket. But something about what the media has been claiming for months now doesn’t seem to sound right. Idk maybe it’s 100% true but it’s something I have a hard time taking the media’s word for. I know we have quite a few users here in that age bracket. What are your real-life experiences (i.e. not online) with this? Do you think this age demographic is actually trending reactionary?

(I do remember digging into the details of one poll, and while it seemed there was more affiliation with Republicans than previous, it also seemed like there were an also very large segment that were openly showing to be further left than the democrats? So maybe more reactionary sentiment but also more genuinely leftish sentiment?)

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[-] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago

they mostly complain that their classmates/friends are largely apathetic or cynical, materialistic and a bit callous.

Sounds similar to the situation during Trump 1. Just now way more clamping down on free speech.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don't know. There was more of an idea that things could change for the better, that the reactionary wave was a headwind in the road to progress (can you tell I wasn't a marxist back then). Covid and the 2020s kind of took care of that in most young people I know. The past few years have at the same time created a sense of urgency and a feeling of powerlessness in younger people. There is very little room for grander narratives, and most people I know are focusing in protecting the small scale and the local in the face of the overwhelming power of reaction.

this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025

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