'Shy Capitalist' Millennials Could Help Sunak At Polls

Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives may yet find electoral salvation in the “shy capitalist“ millennial generation, according to a new report. A new study from centre-right think tank Onward, after a survey of 8,000 people across the UK, suggests millennials – those aged between 25 and 40 – have a dim view of the government

- DOMINIC MCGRATH

“Millennials are the first demographic cohort not to become more right-wing as they age,” the report claims. That is down to a lack of home ownership, less stable employment and starting families later, it says.

But the prime minister’s apparent popularity among millennials, alongside evidence of some “right-leaning economic instincts”, could help the Tory party plot a path to winning the generation back, the report’s authors suggest.

Sebastian Payne, Onward director and one of the study’s authors, said: “Millennials are not becoming more right wing as they age, which is a serious long-term problem for the Conservatives.

“More home ownership and better jobs are critical to winning back their support but so too are taxes. They are ‘shy capitalists’ who prefer lower taxes instead of the government redistributing their income.