The Politics of Gen X

Tony Coulson's article The Politics of GenX explores how Canada's Generation X, now at the peak of its influence, holds diverse political values that defy generational stereotypes, emphasizing that values—not age—are the key to understanding political behavior.

Posted on:   Monday Feb 3rd 2025

Article by:   Tony Coulson

Canada’s next Prime Minister will almost certainly be a member of Generation X, which includes people born between 1965 and 1979. A generation stereotyped in its youth as ironically detached, even disengaged, is now in its prime working years — wielding considerable power not only in politics but in most other fields. What do we know about Gen X values today, especially when it comes to government and politics?

Compared to other generational cohorts, Gen X does – consistent with the Reality Bites-era stereotype – appear somewhat world weary and disengaged. On average, members of this cohort express little interest in community involvement, score low on sociable values, and sometimes feel a little cut off from society. But as is often the case when it comes to generalizations about generations, this high-level view obscures substantial variation.

When we look at the political outlooks of the different segments within Gen X, things come more into focus and we see a wide range of political orientations.

New Aquarians

Believe that active involvement in the political process can make a difference in society, are active in their communities, feel like citizens of the world, and reject the notion that job protection or economic advancement should be allowed at the expense of environmental protection. As voters, they have been more likely than other segments to vote NDP.

Social Values associated:

Aimless Dependants

Tend to lack clear goals in life and can feel cut off from what’s happening in society. Seeking structure amid this aimlessness, they believe in traditional families and patriarchy, can prefer the formal over the casual, and express a desire for order and stability in what they see as a dangerous world. Aimless Dependants have tended to vote Conservative more than for other parties.

Social Values associated:

Security-Seeking Ascetics

Prioritize family, saying they’re motivated to make personal sacrifices and provide for their children over all else. They feel insecure about their financial futures and are intimidated or threatened by technological changes and scientific advances. This segment has also voted Conservative more than Liberal or NDP.

Social Values associated:

Autonomous Post-Materialists

Tend to reject tradition in terms of good manners and the golden rule (treat others as you want to be treated) and are comfortable with a certain amount of messiness in life. This group has strong feelings of connectedness to their town, city, region, or country and feel less interested and invested in the wider world. They don’t see a strong role for government in addressing society’s challenges, nor do they much want to be very involved as individuals in their communities (despite their feelings of local and national attachment). More in this segment abstain from voting than choose any one political party.

Social Values associated:

Social Hedonists & Thrill Seeking Materialists

Differ in other ways but overlap strongly when it comes to their political orientations. Both groups believe in government as a force for good in society and prefer more rather than less government involvement in resolving social issues. Both groups also exhibit national pride, believing Canada should hold a strong position in the world. Members of the two segments enjoy connecting through large crowds, and may sometimes be attracted to the sense of being part of a political movement more than to specific ideas or policies. These segments have voted in equal numbers for Liberals and Conservatives.

Social Values associated:

These patterns suggest three take-aways:

1

People with different values profiles and underlying motivations can vote for the same party, confirming that broader (brokerage) appeals can be most effective.

2

People with similar values don’t necessarily vote for the same political party. Events and campaigns matter, and political preferences can change despite the relative stability of underlying motivations.

3

Age cohort isn’t a sound predictor of political orientation. To forge meaningful connections, it’s much more useful to understand people’s values – where they are coming from in terms of worldview and deeper beliefs .

Tony Coulson
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Tony Coulson

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Tony Coulson works on policy and communications research with clients at the international, national, provincial and local levels.

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