Young men in UK are not more rightwing than older groups, study says

Exclusive: Analysis shows men aged 18 to 25 are less progressive than women their age, but less likely to vote for rightwing parties than other age groups of men

Young men are not turning to rightwing politics more than any other demographic, according to a study of election data , which undermines claims that this group has been a key driver of the recent success of parties such as Reform UK .

The analysis of data from the British Election Study, which polls about 30,000 people every year, showed age to be a bigger determining factor in voters’ political opinions than gender.

And while men aged 18 to 25 are less progressive than women of the same age, they remain more progressive, and less likely to vote for rightwing parties, than any other age group of men.

Analysts at the Institute for Public Policy Research, which carried out the study, said the findings should prompt politicians to rethink how they engage with young men, who are sometimes written off as lost to misogynistic online influencers.

Dr Chris Bick, the lead author of the report, said: “There is a sense that young men are shifting rapidly to the right, but we have not found much evidence for that at all. They remain the most progressive cohort of men across a raft of issues.”

He added: “If you are interested in advancing progressive politics, this is still a base of support for you. Politicians looking to appeal to younger voters will have to make sure they do not alienate this cohort by trying too much to appeal to older voters.”

Many commentators have highlighted the apparent appeal of populist rightwing politics for young men in recent years in the UK and abroad.