People age and change their points of view. Older people are naturally more conservative when they realize some things are better off the way they are.

More like "the way they used to be" which is what's causing friction in the US and UK.

Today's youth grew up with the dotcom bubble, financial crisis, 9/11, and COVID. They're far poorer with less opportunity than prior generations had. The government has failed them and they want change.

This is pushing younger generations hard left, and I don't think it's going to change. Most of the "conservativizing" life events like home ownership and building a family are being delayed or just never happening. Today's mellenials and gen z will likely lean democrat till they die.

There's also a social theory that older generations lean conservative because the conservative movement dominated their youth, not because they became that way with age. Today's boomers grew up during a ~20 year streak of conservative dominance. Today's youth are the opposite, it's yet to be seen what this will do to political beliefs.

this

> some things are better off the way they are

doesn't follow from this

> Older people are naturally more conservative

Yes it does because as one ages, he realizes why things are and have been the same for a long time. Plus one gets used to those things. And therefore conservatism creeps in.

the statement is about things being better is in absolute terms where in fact it's just perception, as you said yourself biased due to age. older people may perceive lack of change as better but it doesn't mean it's in fact better.

People become more conservatives as they age, probably after understanding their tax returns and when the year of school (which is a prevalent liberal environment because of teachers) are a far memory.

Despite this, there's a increasingly liberal trend: spending, taxes and inflation keep raising, no matter the party.

This may not hold with today's youth. There's theories that people identify with the political party of their youth (much like they do with music) as they age. This is an alternate explanation for the increasing conservativism of older generations in the US that grew up during Reagen years. For nearly 20 years conservatives ruled and this lines up with the formative years of today's pensioners.

Another theory is that youth are not going through conservatizing life events like marriage or home ownership because they've been screwed by so many economic disasters. It's hard to argue against this theory, the question is how much of an effect this will have long term.

Yet another theory is more obvious. The anti immigration and anti gay policies of conservatives are wildly unpopular among those under 45. Some estimates I've seen are that less than 25% support either. The younger generations are also less religious, more urban, and more ethnically diverse. All traits that tend to increase left leanings.

I personally doubt school had much of an impact. Educators have been left leaning for centuries. I think it's used as an excuse by the conservative party in the US unwilling to admit their policies are unpopular for more based reasons.

I agree with you that deficit spending has become bipartisan. The fiscal conservatism that once defined Republicans is more of a libertarian aim now. Again I think this will play out in an interesting way. Without fiscal conservativism the Republicans are left with religious and cultural conservativism which are both wildly unpopular among younger generations.