Russell Brand, the comedian/actor and political campaigner, was the subject of allegations of rape, sexual and emotional abuse in September 2023. Brand was seen by many as an unconventional and unpredictable voice: formerly a breath of fresh air, latterly a loose cannon. His verbose, left-wing and anti-establishment activism was popularised to attract a younger audience in the early 2010s, and he has gone on to propagate conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.
The allegations against Brand detail multiple incidents taking place between 2006 and 2013. Brand denies all allegations, stating that the incidents reported were consensual and that there may be a “coordinated attack” against him, placing himself at the centre of a new conspiracy. This idea has been supported by a number of high profile figures including Andrew Tate, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.
“Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.”
– Fox News host Tucker Carlson on the allegations of sexual assault made against Brand, 16 September 2023
The #MeToo campaign came to prominence challenging those in positions of power accused of perpetrating and covering up violence, but has now extended into a wider conversation about violence against women and girls and the ecosystem of patriarchy which allows this to happen. Many people welcome the nuance this has brought into the conversation, where different types of behaviour are viewed as part of an interconnected system of prejudice and violence.
However, a cultural backlash against the movement has formed due to concerns about the impact on young men of a culture of public accusations, where they feel under pressure that one “wrong move” could have dire consequences on their lives. This fear of false accusation exists alongside the fears of young women and people of marginalised genders – that they will be victims of violence, emotional, physical and sexual; that they will not be believed by a police and judiciary who are not ideologically or procedurally equipped to verify allegations of violence and bring them to justice.
In January 2024, three months after the Brand allegations first surfaced, we polled 2040 young people aged from 16-24 with Focaldata. Almost one in five (18%) think that the Brand allegations are an attempt to silence and smear someone who is increasingly questioning the status quo. Amongst those who are more likely than average to question the Brand allegations are young men, those who also have a positive view of Andrew Tate, those who consider themselves anti-woke and Reform UK voters.
The backlash to Brand does not appear to be specific to him as a character, but rather indicative of a broader response to #MeToo culture. Similar responses can be seen in the polling about women making allegations of rape after having sex they regret. This suggests a wider backlash against accusations of violence made against men more generally.
Young men who think the allegations against Brand are a smear
Young men who believe that the allegations are a smear are twice as likely to have a positive view of Brand (40% vs. 22%) than the average, suggesting the allegations are a central factor determining whether young people support him or not. These young men are politically engaged, with only 16% unsure of who they would vote for in a General Election (compared to an average of 26%). They also have higher than average levels of political satisfaction (28% vs. 22%) and are also more likely to feel confident that at least one of the main parties reflects their opinions (43% vs. 36%).
However, there is no one dominating ideology. They are just as likely to intend to vote for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party as the overall average, and only slightly more likely to vote for the Conservatives and Reform UK. Progressive young men who develop an interest in Brand out of frustration with #MeToo might risk becoming further exposed to his conspiracy theory content and the wider community of hatefulness he is part of.
Interestingly, they are actually less likely than other young people to think that the mainstream media only shows what suits people in power (54% vs. 61%) and are also only slightly more likely than other young people to believe that there is a single group of people who secretly control events and rule the world together (40% vs. 35%). This is somewhat surprising given Brand’s anti-establishment positioning. That said, they have higher conspiracy beliefs than average on the COVID-19 pandemic, which Brand also speaks about.
These mixed results suggest that some young men who support Brand in the face of the allegations made against him are mostly interested in what this says about feminism and the position of men in society today, whereas others support him for his wider content, which exposes them to conspiracy theories.
Young people with a positive opinion of Brand
Looking at who holds a positive view of Brand despite the allegations made against him may help us understand how to tackle the idea that progress on sexual violence comes directly at the cost of men. 22% of young people included in the poll have a positive opinion of Brand.
Looking at our segments, the Hateful Advocates and Disaffected Reactionaries both have much higher opinions of Brand: in both segments, there is a net positive opinion of 33% but the Hateful Advocates are more likely to strongly like him (18% vs. 11%).
Young people who like Brand are more likely than average to hold right-wing conservative views on a number of social issues, such as opposing education on women’s equality and gay rights and thinking feminism has gone too far. Furthermore, they have a higher than average level of belief in conspiracy theories. They are twice as likely to believe that the official account of the Nazi Holocaust is a lie (29% vs. 15%), 34% believe that immigration is a deliberate attempt to replace white people (average 22%) and 30% believe that the COVID-19 vaccines were unsafe (average 23%).
Interestingly, those who like Russell Brand are more than twice as likely than the average person to like far-right activist Tommy Robinson (35% vs. 15%) and right-wing politician Nigel Farage (45% vs. 22%), but are also more likely to hold a positive opinion of left wing politician Jeremy Corbyn (36% vs. 25%).
Brand appears to be attracting an audience who know who they like – outspoken individuals who are not afraid to challenge the status quo – but are potentially less concerned with what that person is challenging. There definitely is a push back against progressive, liberal values, in particular feminism, but it is up for debate the extent to which this is due to commitment to the ideology so much as attraction to a cult of personality.
Next steps
It is worth noting that 23% of young people in our poll have never heard of Brand. In many ways, the real danger is not his individual influence, but what he represents: a core group of young men who feel trapped and angry.
Removing anti-feminist and conspiracy content online or even deplatforming individuals like Brand might not tackle the root of the problem. Interventions directly addressing young men’s frustrations and anxieties around #MeToo will deter them from searching for anti-feminist content in the first place and digging deeper into more dangerous conspiracy content.
Opportunity lies in this group’s trust in political figures, particularly those who are emotive and outspoken. Indeed, the predominantly-male Engaged Reactionaries segment is the most likely to be apathetic towards him (40%), suggesting that engagement with the political mainstream has a large potential to challenge the narratives he pushes. Political empowerment that helps young men address their concerns in productive ways will prevent them from seeking representation elsewhere.
Plugged In but Disconnected looks at young people and the attitudes they hold. We find some shocking evidence of hateful attitudes, particularly amongst young men. Download the report today.
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