How to fight back against Gen-Z socialism
Weekly edition
Current topics
Current topics
World
World
Business & economics
Business & economics
Opinion
Opinion
In depth
In depth
Culture, history & society
Culture, history & society
Our A-to-Zs
Our A-to-Zs
undefined undefined
Subscribe to The Economist<br>Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters
Subscribe to The Economist<br>Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters
Subscribe
Leaders | Our cover<br>How to fight back against Gen-Z socialism<br>The me-first doctrine is a threat to prosperity<br>Share
Illustration: The Economist/Ryan Haskins/Getty Images
Jun 4th 2026|5 min read
Something new is stirring on the left. A fresh crop of socialists want to remake the economy with price controls, hefty wealth taxes and a spree of nationalisations. Supercharged by fury over Gaza, they are winning voters at a formidable pace. Many rose to prominence only recently, like Zack Polanski, who leads the Green Party in Britain, or Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York. Others are long-standing political fixtures: the septuagenarian Jean-Luc Mélenchon is on his fourth swing at the French presidency, but thumping support from the 20-somethings of “Generation Z” has put the Elysée back in his sights again.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The rise of Gen-Z socialism”
From the June 6th 2026 edition<br>Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents<br>⇒Explore the edition
ShareReuse this content
More from Leaders
How to make football more exciting<br>The World Cup is wonderful. It could be even better
Ukraine is not a charity case<br>Europe needs its help just as badly as the other way round
India’s surprise baby bust is a warning to the world<br>It is not just rich places that are becoming less fertile
America’s decaying Treasury market needs a fix<br>High debt, disjointed markets and pugnacious trade policy all threaten the world’s safe asset
Britain is wrong to ban speakers like Hasan Piker<br>Even though his views are awful
Why the world needs more franchises<br>From pizza to Pilates, franchises mint millionaires and make customers happy
Get The Economist app on iOS or Android
The Economist
The Economist
The Economist Group
The Economist Group
Contact
Contact
Careers
Careers
To enhance your experience and ensure our website runs smoothly, we use cookies and similar technologies.<br>Manage cookies