“Gen Z’s descent into lazy nihilism,” read part of a recent headline from The Telegraph. It is a familiar portrayal about the young: we’re lazy, we’re nihilistic, and, like the rest of the country, we’re “fed up with politics,” as Andy Burnham put it.
But is this portrayal really true?
At first glance, young people might indeed be nihilistic about politics – or at least increasingly disillusioned. This year, the John Smith centre found that only 36 per cent of young people think they will be better off than their parents, compared to 63 per cent the previous year.
Among students I spoke to, pessimism about the future was prevalent. “It’s bad,” said one second-year student, citing AI, fascism, and racism among their primary concerns. “I don’t see much change happening in my daily life,” said another. Many feel that ongoing issues that matter to them are not being addressed or improved – in fact, they feel their problems are getting worse. “I think politicians in general are not representing young people enough, and this is true across all parties,” said Anton, president of the University of Edinburgh’s Liberal Association.
AI, although a recent phenomenon, has quickly become a significant political issue causing pessimism about the future among young people. One interviewee highlighted the link between unemployment and lack of hope for the future – difficulties finding a job making it “more difficult for young people to buy a house and start a family.” It “is being used in everything,” said another second-year interviewee, who also emphasised the impact of the associated data centres and the impact on water supply.
The NHS also ranked among the primary concerns, with a particular problem being the “ridiculous” price of vaccines not available to all on the NHS, particularly the Meningitis B vaccine. A lack of yearly checkups was also highlighted as a significant problem – many feel that young people’s health is sorely neglected.
According to Anton, Edinburgh students tend to hold “very left-leaning” views, although mainly “issue driven (pro-Palestine, housing, LGBT rights) rather than party political.”
This idea that students are “issue driven” rather than “party political” may link to the perception that young people are lazy. Voting turnout among young people is low: Generation Z have followed the historic trend of the young having lower turnout than every other age group. The British Electoral Study found that in reported turnout, which it should be pointed out tends to over-estimate, 65.4 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in 2024, compared to 88.6 per cent of those aged 66 and over.
However, the ballot box is of course not the only story. Many students feel that politics is, or should be, an important part of people’s lives. “[Politics] quite literally dictates how we live our lives,” said one interviewee. However, this interest simply might not translate into votes.
Political societies also play an important role in the political life of the University of Edinburgh’s students; among others, the university has Labour, Green, SNP, Conservative, and Unionist and Liberal societies. The recent re-founding of the university’s Liberal Association in 2025 after its collapse during the pandemic indicates that the University of Edinburgh’s political life is changing – and maybe even growing.
But what about those who aren’t interested in politics? According to the EUTC, only 42 per cent of people aged 18-20 say they are interested in politics. What about the other 58 per cent?
One respondent said, “I didn’t grow up around parents that were interested in it, so politics was never a big talking point.” Parents, according to many, play a key role in the political life of their children – not just who they vote for, but whether they have an interest in politics at all.
However, even those who did not consider themselves interested in politics were in agreement that voting is important. One interviewee, who said she “doesn’t keep up with politics as much as [she] should,” said: “I do think it is important to vote [if] you actually know what you are voting for.” This was a common consensus, with most agreeing that voting is important. “Even five votes to one party might make a significant impact,” said one.
Therefore, the picture is clearly more complicated than the “lazy nihilism” of The Telegraph’s headline: Generation Z’s voting turnout might be low, but there is a distinct interest in and worry about politics. Political life in the University of Edinburgh extends beyond the ballot box – with political societies, protests, and “issue-driven” politics just to mention a few.
Perhaps the “nihilism” part of the headline holds some truth. Young people are feeling less optimistic about their future than their parents; but whether this is “nihilism”, realism, or simply being “fed up,” as Andy Burnham said, is yet to be known.
But one thing remains clear – whether you’re a “lazy nihilist” or a passionate optimist, young people’s relationship with politics is one that will define the future.
Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash.
