Numbers don’t lie – but the way we use them can.
On January 27, 2025, a Channel 4 poll claimed that 52 per cent of Gen Z in the UK believe the country would be better off under a dictatorship. The media pounced. Headlines screamed about young people abandoning democracy, painting us as naive, radical, or even dangerous. The implication? That we don’t understand the freedoms we have.
But this is a complete misreading of the situation.
Young people are not rejecting democracy. We are rejecting a system that has made a mockery of it. The frustration behind these statistics does not stem from a desire for dictatorship; it stems from the reality that our so-called democracy persistently ignores us.
A generation shut out of its own future
I’m 21 years old. My life has been defined by politicians failing to address the crises shaping my generation’s future—soaring rent, wages that don’t match inflation, a spiralling cost of living, and a climate crisis that is not just ignored, but actively worsened by those in power. We are constantly told to be patient while watching the last scraps of security and opportunity slip further out of reach.
I see it everywhere. Friends who have given up on the idea of ever affording their own place. Others skip meals to make ends meet. Countless who’ve stopped voting—not because they don’t care, but because they’ve realised it barely counts. What’s the point, when the system is designed to ignore us?
The 2024 General Election was one of the most disproportionate in UK history. First past the post (FPTP) meant that millions of votes, many from young people, were effectively wasted. The gap between the number of votes a party received and the number of seats they won was staggering.
Tell me again why young people should have faith in this system.
A democracy that isn’t one
FPTP is an institutionalised method of voter suppression. It allows a party to win a majority government with barely a third of the vote, while parties with substantial public support remain drastically underrepresented. The message is clear: your vote only matters if you live in the right place, vote for the right party, or belong to the right demographic.
We’re told democracy is about choice—but what choice do we really have when the system is rigged to protect the status quo?
The answer is not to abandon democracy, but to rebuild it.
This is why Proportional Representation (PR) is more urgent than ever.
PR ensures that every vote actually counts. It creates a Parliament that accurately reflects public opinion, preventing governments from securing majorities without broad support. It forces cross-party cooperation, stops manufactured landslides, and ensures diverse voices are represented in decision-making.
And this isn’t just theoretical. Countries that use PR—like Germany and New Zealand—have higher voter turnout, greater political engagement, and more stable governance. They don’t have to endure the wild policy swings that happen in the UK every time power shifts between two dominant parties. They don’t have to worry that an entire generation is being systematically ignored.
Imagine what British politics could look like if young people actually had a reason to believe our votes mattered.
This is not just a fringe debate
The demand for electoral reform is growing. Half of the UK public now supports Proportional Representation, and that number keeps rising. People are waking up to the fact that our system is working exactly as it was designed to—not to represent the majority, but to protect the interests of the few.
This isn’t just about one broken electoral system—it’s about power. Who gets to have a voice. Who gets to be heard. Who benefits from our disengagement?
The people in charge benefit when we stop fighting. They win when we believe nothing can change.
But democracy should never be a privilege reserved for the established elite.
Power belongs to the people. And it’s time we reclaimed it.
Where do we go from here?
Some will say young people should just vote anyway and work within the system. But we have voted. We have campaigned. We have mobilised. We are the generation that turned out in record numbers to protest climate inaction, economic injustice, and political corruption—only to be told that nothing will change.
So no, we are not blindly embracing dictatorship. But we are demanding that democracy be more than just a word politicians throw around when it suits them.
PR is not a magic bullet. It won’t fix everything overnight. But it is a necessary first step—a step towards a system that makes voting worth something again. Because if nothing changes, disillusionment will only deepen. And that is the real threat to democracy.
Livvy Gibbs, Young Make Votes Matter Ambassador
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