It has been the case for the past several generations that young people, particularly "intelligent" young people going off to college are "liberal" in their viewpoints, and become more liberal throughout their university experience.
Then, when they go out to try to earn a living and see how much of their earnings are taken away in taxes, and see how many people are sucking off the government's teats, they quickly begin to see the Conservative side of things.
But this transition is muted, obfuscated, delayed, and even totally avoided for the past few generations. They are supported by their parents until nearly middle age, they go to work for government, social agencies, foundations, etc., which are divorced from the real world. They never have to support themselves independently until they are in their 30's and 40's, by which time their intellectual growth is a thing of the past, and all of their friends are similarly insulated from reality.
And of course the culture abhors people who actually take responsibility for their own lives and affairs. How many Gen-X people on scripted TV have real jobs and are supporting themselves independently? Not many.
In short, the challenge of supporting oneself in the real world used to be a Rite of Passage into adulthood, which was usually associated with a shift in political leanings from Left to Right. But the Left has tried to obliterate that passage by promising today's young adults everything they want, provided by "someone else's" taxes. You don't have to repay those student loans. You don't have support those kids. You don't have to take care of your elderly parents, and on and on.
Young adults are not shifting to the Right politically because they are brought up to be pussies. And there you have it.