A recent Morning Consult report examines hundreds of thousands of survey responses from members of Generation Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012. The results show the worldview of Gen Z is changing as the cohort shifts from their teenage years into adulthood.
The share of Gen Z identifying as politically moderate has been growing steadily, and this generation that has come of age in crisis increasingly values things typically associated with conservatism: routine, tradition, privacy, and faith.
Despite the “conventional wisdom” that young adults are liberal, it isn’t altogether surprising young adults are experiencing a shift in their worldview. The collective ideology of generations moves in cycles. And, though Millennials were very liberal in their youth (and still are), it’s not a given that subsequent generations will be the same.
The preceding generations weren’t. Republicans had an edge among the under-30 set in 1972 (Nixon) and in 1984 and 1988 (Reagan). As recently as 2000, Republican and Democrats split the youth cohort. A shift back toward the center is inevitable.
However, just because the current youth cohort isn’t as liberal as they used to be doesn’t mean they adore the Republican Party. New data from SPN’s State Voices study shows that a plurality, 42 percent, still identify as liberal and a similar percentage self-describe as Democrat.
What’s more, even for those with more moderate views, there is far more trust in Democrats. By more than a 20-point margin, members of Gen Z favor Democrats on being solutions-oriented. They take a commonsense approach to governing and favor compromise for the sake of progress.
Additionally, they are twice as likely to think Republicans in Washington are “very divisive” (34 percent) compared to Democrats (18 percent).
Gen Z’s generational personality is taking shape. The group is pragmatic, individualistic, analytical. They’re also interested in reforming existing institutions rather than starting new ones. These are all signs that Gen Z may be open to ideas that didn’t generate much interest from young Millennials.
However, tone and approach matter a great deal. Winning over Gen Z means focusing on practical policies. It also means backing up ideas with good data. Most importantly, though, policy conversations can’t be partisan. This is especially true for policies traditionally favored by Republicans.
Gen Z is open to a wide range of policies. But only if those policies work to strengthen our country. In order to earn youth support, messaging to this generation must shift away from partisan language.
