Australians in their 40s and 50s are struggling with low wages growth, rising inequality, and falling rates of home ownership – and many are feeling left behind. This has driven a surge in support for One Nation, with the party's primary vote peaking at 43% among Gen Xers, according to polling by Redbridge.
Economic Discontent Fuels Populist Shift
A decade after Brexit and Donald Trump's first election victory, Australia is having its own populist moment. While the economy overall has largely sailed unscathed through a turbulent 21st century, compounding crises have left a deep scar on a growing number of households. Instead of being powered by disgruntled younger folk, the driving force has been Gen X, who are now mostly in their 50s and finally making themselves heard.
One Nation's ascent over the past year is extraordinary. The party scored 6.4% of the primary vote at the May 2025 election. By October, the party's primary vote had notionally doubled to 13%, according to the Essential poll. One Nation's popularity has since doubled again to now sit at 28% – only one point behind Labor.
The Sandwich Generation
Experts refer to Gen X as the sandwich generation, having to provide for older parents and younger children. They face a swathe of economic challenges, including far lower home ownership, watching the rich get richer as they struggle with low wages growth. This environment is driving Gen Xers towards what once were the fringes of politics.
Wesley Jasper, a longtime military veteran and new One Nation member, says the economy is his primary concern. "Where does my money go in taxes, and how does that benefit me?" he asks. "And living standards. What can we do for people like me who've worked hard my whole life?"
Orange Tsunami
Academic studies have found a powerful causal link between growing economic pessimism and Australia's shift away from major parties towards populist alternatives. Kos Samaras, Redbridge's director of strategy and analytics, says the typical One Nation voter was previously in their 50s and 60s, living in a home they were close to paying off. Now, new supporters are younger, in their 40s and 50s, renting in outer suburbs or regions. Not owning a home in your 50s is a source of deep despondency.
Analysis of ABS data shows a major rise in renting among those aged between their mid-40s and mid-50s: from 12% to 21% over nearly three decades. Home ownership rates among Gen X are much lower than their parents at this age, while those who do own have much bigger debt.
Economic Challenges
Ali Carter, 49, from Echuca, supports One Nation because she wants Australia to "go back to what it was", with more domestic manufacturing and less foreign ownership. She worries about the lack of jobs in regional areas, the cost of living, and public transport. "I can relate to One Nation," she says. "Pauline will go out into the community and talk to them. She doesn't talk down to you."
Beth Webster, an economics professor at the University of Melbourne, says economic disaffection is rooted in soaring cost of living. Rising interest rates, fuel shocks, and falling house prices have pushed consumer confidence to around its lowest on record. The divide between rich and poor is growing: wages for the highest paid workers are growing at more than twice the pace of those earning the least.
Brent Larkham, a Tamworth small business owner and country musician, says integrity is lost in politics. "People kind of expect them just to lie," he says. He sees politics switching between the two parties without any change, while things get tough at the petrol pump and supermarket.
Identifying Solutions
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledges frustration with the system but says it's "not enough to identify an issue. What you've got to do is identify a solution." However, solutions for what ails the disaffected Australians of generation X remain in vanishingly short supply.
