Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The war between the generations has never felt stronger. Your age supposedly determines how you vote, your views on the world and your prospects for the future. Older people decry younger citizens as ‘woke snowflakes’, while the young in turn dismiss their parents as stealing their future via Brexit, climate change and house prices. As 50 per cent of young people – for now – attend university, generational attitudes towards free speech and pluralism have also come under strain.
When it comes to financial matters, it’s easy to see the insecure employment and housing market as proof that young people’s prospects are bleak. On the other hand, many argue that young people have never had it so good, enjoying more opportunities and innovation than any previous generation. Today’s young generation are more likely to own cars, go on foreign holidays and eat in restaurants than their parents or grandparents.
So is this really a generation war? Or does class still create a greater dividing line? After all, economic struggle is not unique to today’s youngsters. And whether it’s owning a home or being able to afford avocado on toast, what are the prospects, hopes and dreams for young people in the 2020s?
The speakers are:
Emily Carver
Acting director of communications and head of media, Institute of Economic Affairs
Ceri Dingle
Director, WORLDwrite and WORLDbytes
Kunle Olulode
Director, Voice4Change England
Sam Parker
European financial regulation specialist; former parliamentary assistant, European Parliament and House of Lords
Freddie Poser
Director, PricedOut
The Chair is
Noah Keate
Journalist and writer
Filmed and erdited by WORLDwrite volunteers at the Battle of Ideas Festival in October 2022.
Do subscibe to our YouTube channel and make a donation via the THANKS button under the video to help our charity produce more of these.
The war between the generations has never felt stronger. Your age supposedly determines how you vote, your views on the world and your prospects for the future. Older people decry younger citizens as ‘woke snowflakes’, while the young in turn dismiss their parents as stealing their future via Brexit, climate change and house prices. As 50 per cent of young people – for now – attend university, generational attitudes towards free speech and pluralism have also come under strain.
When it comes to financial matters, it’s easy to see the insecure employment and housing market as proof that young people’s prospects are bleak. On the other hand, many argue that young people have never had it so good, enjoying more opportunities and innovation than any previous generation. Today’s young generation are more likely to own cars, go on foreign holidays and eat in restaurants than their parents or grandparents.
So is this really a generation war? Or does class still create a greater dividing line? After all, economic struggle is not unique to today’s youngsters. And whether it’s owning a home or being able to afford avocado on toast, what are the prospects, hopes and dreams for young people in the 2020s?
The speakers are:
Emily Carver
Acting director of communications and head of media, Institute of Economic Affairs
Ceri Dingle
Director, WORLDwrite and WORLDbytes
Kunle Olulode
Director, Voice4Change England
Sam Parker
European financial regulation specialist; former parliamentary assistant, European Parliament and House of Lords
Freddie Poser
Director, PricedOut
The Chair is
Noah Keate
Journalist and writer
Filmed and erdited by WORLDwrite volunteers at the Battle of Ideas Festival in October 2022.
Do subscibe to our YouTube channel and make a donation via the THANKS button under the video to help our charity produce more of these.
