In modern-day political discourse, it seems axiomatic that the younger you are, the more likely you are to tend towards leftist politics and parties, or support traditionally leftist causes (feminism, anti-racism, decolonistion, etc.). The elderly, as a result, are usually stereotyped as being politically conservative. I was reminded of this quite prominently in the recent UK election -- there's been great talk of 'the youth vote', essentially always with the implication that it would benefit the leftist parties alone.

But has this stereotype, or conception of politics, always been the case, and is it universal? Are there times or cultures where the young were considered more likely to be conservative, and the elderly more liberal? When did people first start talking about this idea?

Note: I'm aware that terms such as 'leftist', 'conservative', 'liberal' and such are often ambiguous and problematic, especially when we try to map these concepts onto times and places other than our own. That's why, if it came to it, I'd be satisfied with an answer along the lines of "this notion's existed since there first existed a political right and left".