The new socialists: how dangerous are they?

年轻人集体向左

Insider

2026-06-05

46 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Socialism has changed. Today’s lefties have shed the weighty collectivist ideals of their forebears in favour of snappy, me-first policies: freeze my rent! Cut my bills! Protect my job! And—to pay for it all—tax the rich! Soakalism? Zohranomics? Call it what you want, from New York to London it is winning real votes.  What explains the appeal of this new generation of socialism? What impact will it have on the political landscape? And how much should free-market liberals fear it? Join Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, and a panel of our journalists as they examine the rapid rise of the world’s new leftists, unpack their many bad ideas—and few good ones—and ask how centrists should respond.
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单集文稿 ...

  • A new movement is on the march.

  • We're calling it Gen Z socialism.

  • Not because all its supporters are young,

  • but because this brand of leftism is made for the TikTok era.

  • Gen Z socialism is a me-first doctrine.

  • It's less about collectivist ideals and seizing the means of production,

  • and more about fixing an unfair system with price controls and free stuff paid for by taxing billionaires.

  • From New York to Paris, support for Gen Z socialism is surging.

  • Its leaders may not hold power yet,

  • but their ideas matter because they're already shaping policies and politics across the world.

  • So what does this new flavor of leftism consist of, and just how dangerous is it?

  • I'm Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's editor-in-chief.

  • Welcome to the Insider.

  • So with me to discuss Gen Z socialism is Sasha Nauta, our Britain editor,

  • not actually a Gen Zer herself,

  • Not quite, no.

  • Not quite, but two bona fide Gen Zers,

  • Archie Hall, our acting economics editor, and Owen Winter, our polling expert.

  • Thank you for joining us.

  • Thank you.