Can't afford a house so we won't defend yours

Gen Z sound off on going to fight.

Gen Z sound off on going to fight.

"Send the boomers off to fight, they have the most to lose."

This is the furious response to research that showed only only one-third of 18-34-year-olds said they would "stay and fight" if Australia was in the same position as Ukraine right now.

You can just picture it, can't you, throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the blue light of group chats lit up: “Would you fight if we went to war?”

We ask ourselves, are we as brave as molotov cocktail wielding Ukranians? Zelensky would certainly hold a hose, so would Australians hold a gun?

As The Oz reported last week, conservative think tank Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) asked young Australians "Would you stay and fight?"

And given the overwhelming 'no' vote, IPA Director of Research Daniel Wild said the results showed young Australians were "ashamed of themselves and their country".

But it didn't end there. In the days following, Gen Z and Millennial punters have doubled down asking why they would fight for a country they say they can't afford to live in it. 

“Young people can’t afford a home to live here, it should be land owners’ primary responsibility to put up the fight,” one person wrote online.

“Our youth of fighting age are the poorest of any of the generations previously before them. Again, I say why would they stay and fight.

“Why would they stay and fight? This country has no national identity, no culture and poor leadership in both the main political parties," yet another said.

Mr Wild said young peoples' reaction to the survey only made the picture more clear.

"These kinds of comments reveal perhaps an absence of appreciation for Australia. That yes, it's absolutely true that your average young person is finding it hard to find a property - it's a big challenge on our democracy ... but there's so much more about Australia to be thankful for and so much more to be fighting for," he said. 

In the survey, about one in four 18 to 35 year-olds, of which about 70% were female and 30% male, said they would instead "leave the country" and 27% answered they were still "unsure".

Patriotism - beyond a bit of Matildas on-field action or Warnie worship - is a bit boomer, it seems. 

The "stay and fight" sentiment increased with each age group, climbing to about 60 per cent for the over 55s.