Why is GenZ Going Back to Conservatism?

Editorial from AMP Youth Leader Julia

Isn’t Gen Z all for movement and change? That’s what I asked myself after realizing the considerable rise of young conservative people in my country. You see, I’m a Brazilian myself, and I thought maybe it was a regional thing – perhaps because of the political mess that has been happening in Brazil these past few years. Instead, after doing some basic research and paying more attention to social media tendencies of past years, I came to realize that it was, in fact, a global tendency. In the United States of America (USA), for example, in the 2020 elections, 41% of young men voted for Donald Trump – a conservatism symbol – while in 2024, the percentage increased to 56%. Among women also considered part of Gen Z, 30% voted for Trump in 2020, compared to 40% now.

If we take a broader look at worldwide politics and conflicts, it’s fair to say that chaos is a good adjective to describe them. With Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) action, and Donald Trump’s political choices for global trade and plenty of other conflictual situations, the world falls into complete uncertainty – including the individuals themselves. With insecurity surrounding everyone, the younger generation tends to lean towards a false sense of security, with plenty of youth living with the perspective of “I was born in the wrong generation” and going for the whole “submissive wife and men of the household” kind of ideals.

Other than that, social media also plays an important part in these tendencies, especially when it comes to newer generations that rely much more on it. With the substantive growth of the entertainment industry and better accessibility through social media, plenty of young people started to drift apart from politics, concentrating their attention on different influencers – many of them who make content out of discriminatory jokes and lack of critical sense. Given this situation, part of youth began to shift their ideas into a more conservative approach, due to the diminished interest in social affairs.

That being said, a Brazilian researcher, Beatriz Besen, a Psychologist working on her PhD at the University of São Paulo (USP), also noticed these global tendencies years ago, when young people who didn’t show any interest in politics started expressing their conservative ideals more substantially. To investigate it, she interviewed 12 young activists, both from Brazil and Germany, and identified two different threats that instigated the Right to be more prominent. Within the South American country, criminality became a factor, and in the European country, immigration, reflecting the uncertainty and insecurity that leads people to “old school” tendencies. (Rádio USP presented by Mel Vieira and Ferraz Junior).

Another aspect that began to affect especially Gen Z is the meaningful historical distance from actual conservative and restrictive societies. That means that, when young adults say “ I wish I were born in the 80’s”, for example, they don’t actually understand the circumstances of that period of time – in the USA, the rate of violent crimes in the 90’ reached its peak, with 750 occurrences per 100,000 people – and the incredible changes that people fought for to get where we are now. 

Finally, the consequences of the rise of the Right among the young public are plenty, some of them already happening nowadays. With the comeback of traditional perspectives, there is a possibility of a greater rise in female violence, especially due to oppressive marriages, an increase in discriminatory practices influenced by colonialism, and older ideals. This global tendency isn’t just a change in a personal opinion of an individual; it reflects the society as a whole, impacting the improvements established after centuries of fighting for change. 

References:

https://jornal.usp.br/?p=789450 

https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/12/05/avanco-da-direita-entre-jovens-vem-da-precarizacao-da-internet-e-do-distanciamento-historico-indica-cientista-social/ 

https://thehilltoponline.com/2024/12/09/social-medias-role-in-the-rise-of-conservatism-among-gen-z/ 

https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/the-case-for-conservatism/how-the-right-got-its-groove-back

Hannah Ritchie and Fiona Spooner (2026) – “How have crime rates in the United States changed over the last 50 years?” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260119-000134/us-crime-rates.html’ [Online Resource] (archived on January 19, 2026).