Since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency eight months ago, several elections have reshaped the Western world — from Poland last month, where National-conservative Karol Nawrocki won an upset victory, to Germany and Canada, which beat back ascendant right-wing parties.

The popular media narrative framed these elections as more battles in the continued struggle between left and right, liberalism and conservatism, or in more partisan circles, “fascist authoritarianism” and “progressive globalism.”

However, the real story has been largely missed in the U.S., where most politics is viewed through the “Trump” lens. There’s a monumental demographic shift occurring that Western governments and national institutions are not prepared for — a sharp and potentially long-term shift to the right among the youngest voters.

Economic anxiety, fueled by resentment toward mass migration, is rising dramatically among younger voters, making governing without far-right parties nearly impossible, and in some cases, making the farthest-left European and Canadian parties irrelevant.

In five of the most important recent national elections – the U.S., Canada, Germany, Poland, and Portugal — the youngest voters have swung dramatically in favor of right-wing parties reversing the traditional overwhelming alignment of young people with left-wing, progressive parties. If this unprecedented rightward trend continues, the identity of the West will be transformed for decades.

In the U.S., voters under 30 shifted anywhere from 15 to 21 points toward Trump — especially young men who swung by nearly double those numbers. They weren’t alone. Voters 30 to 44 years old also moved 8 points toward Trump since 2020 according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, voting habits among Americans over 45 were statistically unchanged according to AP, while the Washington Post reported a 4-point shift toward Harris among the oldest cohort, seniors over 65 — the only generation to move left.

But are Americans an anomaly? Recent elections say no.

Last month, right-wing candidate Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidential election, succeeding fellow populist Andrzej Duda. However, their routes to victory were very different. In 2021, Duda won with overwhelming support from voters 50+ and did not win a majority of voters under 50. Nawrocki however won majorities among voters 18 to 29 (53 percent), 30 to 44 (54 percent), and over-60 (51 percent) whereas his opponent Rafał Trzaskowski won majorities among those 45 to 54 (52 percent) and 50 to 59 (51 percent).

In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany doubled its overall vote share over the last four years, thanks in large part to a 14-point shift among voters 18 to 24 years old. It is now vying with the Left party as the most popular political party with young German voters.

In Canada, the Liberals reversed an early 20-point Conservative polling lead and came out victorious by highlighting the 51st state taunts and tariffs coming from Trump. However, this message landed only with older voters, who reported the relationship with the U.S. as their top issue. Polling suggests that most younger voters actually favored the Conservatives and prioritized the economy and affordability. Canada even runs a “student vote” for those not of age to participate, and the Conservatives won it by 4 points.

The trend goes even deeper. In Portugal’s 2025 legislative elections, the far-right party Chega, or “Enough”, founded in 2018, increased its vote share more than any other party, and now controls 60 seats in the national legislature. Chega is roughly tied with the center-right Democratic Alliance as the most popular party among young voters, securing a quarter of their vote.

And where has this youth shift not appeared? Denmark.

According to a report from the BBC, Denmark’s bipartisan coalition government has pioneered some of the most restrictive immigration laws in the EU, and while implementation and enforcement has varied, its rhetoric has been strong, contrarian, and unapologetic. The result? A neutered far-right unable to gain a significant foothold with young voters and experiencing no meaningful polling gains in 2025.

The next year will bring more opportunities for far-right parties to potentially expand their inroads with younger voters in Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Sweden, and more, unless other parties begin seriously acting on young voters’ economic and immigration concerns. If this current trend continues, then a generational reshaping of the West is only a matter of time.

Tom Rodriguez is a senior vice president and leading pollster at LSG, a Washington-based communications and public affairs firm.