The rise of Gen-Z socialism

Z世代社会主义的兴起

Editor's Picks from The Economist

2026-06-08

8 分钟

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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. A new brand of socialism is rapidly gaining popularity among the young. The “me-first” doctrine is a threat to prosperity. Topics covered: SocialismWealth taxationCost of living Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.
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  • Hello and welcome to Editor's Picks.

  • Ethan Wu here.

  • I'm one of the hosts of Money Talks, our business and finance podcast.

  • You're about to hear an article from the latest edition of The Economist.

  • Thanks for listening.

  • Supercharged by fury over Gaza, they are winning voters at a formidable pace.

  • Many rose to prominence only recently, like Zach Polanski,

  • who leads the Green Party in Britain, or Zoran 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 twenty-somethings of Generation Z has put the Elysee back in his sights again.

  • Call it Gen Z socialism.

  • Not because all its adherents are young, or because it is new for young people to lean leftward,

  • but because it is the brand of leftism made for the TikTok era that today's young revolutionaries support.

  • Forget weighty collectivist ideals or seizing the means of production.

  • Gen Z socialism is a me-first doctrine.

  • Climate change and race, preoccupations of the 2010s and early 2020s, are now much more peripheral concerns.

  • So are social issues, barring Gaza.

  • Angst about inflation, housing and artificial intelligence have replaced all that with something cruder.

  • "This country is awash in wealth," says R.V.