At 20, Bryson Constable's views differ from most of his peers. Only 25 per cent of young people align themselves with conservative politics - and he's one of them.
"It's very easy for people to vote for the left, particularly when they're young, because those policies appeal to more short-term thinking, and to more 'feel good' thinking, rather than 'do good' thinking," he told The Feed.
A report from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), , showed that Generation Z is rejecting the old - and once true adage - that we become more conservative with age. People born after 1995 are viewing the Coalition more unfavourably than any generation on record.
And Australia isn't the only country seeing this shift. Similar data from the United States – from a Harvard Youth Poll – say younger generations are more progressive than previous generations.
The Feed spoke with people in Generation Z who are bucking the trend and voting Liberal. Here's why they aren't turning away from the party.
Why Bryson stands by the Liberal Party
Bryson says former Liberal prime ministers like John Howard and Robert Menzies - whether you "agree with them or not - they had a way of capturing the respect and the gravitas that they deserved".
But in recent memory, former US president Donald Trump, who he believes doesn't align with "classical" Liberal beliefs, has tainted people's perception of right-wing politics.
"That's done a tonne of harm to what people conceive the right to be," he said.
"I think having good leaders is part of it."
He also aligns with many policies. Like the Liberal Party, he'd like to see Australia adopt small nuclear reactors and said that you'd "be hard-pressed" to find a young Liberal who doesn't care about the environment.
"[The small nuclear reactors] don't have massive environmental concerns by covering fields in solar panels or affecting native bird populations with wind farms – and also wind farms, they're just ugly," the law and economics student said.
Opposition leader in a bid to move away from the "reliance" on solar panel and wind turbine manufacturers from China.
But many remain unconvinced, including Liberal NSW energy minister and treasurer Matt Kean, who accused the federal Coalition last year of "chasing unicorns" by running after nuclear power.
A report in May from the CSIRO stated that nuclear power was not an economically competitive option, and Australia does not have the relevant frameworks in place for it to be developed and operating within the timeframe required.
Bryson, like the Liberal Party, is critical of Labor's housing policy.
"Do we really want to be a country that is saying to its younger people, 'Our solution to the housing crisis is to make it easier to rent, to make it easier to own nothing?' If you're on the left, I'd be very, very scared," he said.
Attracting women to the young Liberals
Penelope Dawson considers herself to be on the progressive side of conservative politics.
"What I really like about conservatism is that it involves the maintenance or conservation of institutions and traditions that really have given our democratic Western civilisation the peace, security and freedom we currently live by," the 22-year-old said.
Source: Supplied
"It can be really frustrating to feel that there's not enough women [among young Liberals]. We need more women to talk about issues specific to us like abortion, contraception," the arts and law student said.
"I can see where a lot of women come from … thinking, 'No, it's a boys club'.
In federal parliament, 37 per cent of Liberal MPs are women, 63 per cent are male.
Of the federal Labor MPs, this split is 47 per cent female and 53 per cent male - (in 1994, the Labor Party for women in winnable seats by 2002).
There have never been so few Liberal women elected to parliament since 1993.
Penelope says the young Liberals are male-dominated too.
"Funnily enough, I think the men I have met thus far in the young Liberals and the Conservatives have been the most respectful, chivalrous, kindest, and also encouraging men I've ever met," she said.
Bryson agrees and said the party had made strides with gender parity.
"It's taken us a little longer to get there than the left, but we got there without quotas, certainly in New South Wales," he says, referring to the Liberal Party's shadow cabinet in NSW, which is 58 per cent male and 42 per cent female.
The Labor and Liberal Party are both near parity with their MPs in NSW parliament. About 47 per cent of Labor's NSW MPs are female. For the Liberal Party, it's 43 per cent.
Generation Z more likely to stay loyal to the Greens and minor parties
The report by CIS on voter trends reveals Generation Z is unlikely to shift to the right as they enter their 40s and 50s.
And while the Baby Boomers and Generation X have moved to the right in their 40s and 50s, Millennials aren't seeing this until later on.
Gen-Z is not following the pattern of previous generations and turning to conservative politics as they age. Credit: SBS The Feed
"[Millennials are] not going to be a great deal of help with the Coalition until our early eighties," he said.
Generation Z is also entering their voting years with less support for the Coalition than ever before.
Unlike any other generation, Generation Z is sticking with the Greens and minor parties and tapering off from both major parties as they age.
Currently, Millennials and Generation Z make up 48 per cent of voters. But in 20 years, Millennials, Generation Z and Generation Alpha will make up about 70 per cent of voters.
What might the future look like for the Coalition and young voters?
Nineteen-year-old Satvik Sharma said a lot of misconceptions surround the Liberal Party.
"Especially at the state level, a lot of people think that we're a bunch of climate deniers that want to destroy the economy and destroy the environment," he said.
"Right-wing political parties across the world face a problem of youth engagement, and I feel like a lot of it is because of social media."
Nineteen-year-old Satvik Sharma says a lot of misconceptions surround the Liberal Party. Source: Supplied
"I think [young people] just maintained that narrative without properly looking at what we actually stand for, what values founded the Liberal party," she said.
Bryson says the right in this country has been shaped by chasing media stories instead of engaging on a grass-roots on local matters. This should change.
A lot of it is about meeting young people where young people are, and realising that we have to do things differently.Bryson Constable
"A lot of it is about meeting young people where young people are, and realising that we have to do things differently, we have to meet them where they're receiving information," he said.
In any case, he's confident that the Coalition will return to power.
"It's about making ['Conservative'] a word that isn't a bad word. In fact, it's a very, very good word. It's a word that people should be proud of."
