We know that Gen Z is different compared to other age groups – from their unique relationship with the internet to the impact of the pandemic on their lives and their deep love for Peanuts character Snoopy .
Now that this cohort is getting older ( they were born from the late 1990s through the early 2010s ) and more can vote, their different values are also becoming clearer. A recent Public Opinion Strategies/NBC News poll explored just how different their views are from millennials, Gen X and baby boomers.
“There is profound generational change regarding what values are important,” said the poll. This is showcased by four different values-related topics respondents were asked about: patriotism, whether America is the best place to live, belief in god or religion, and having children.
Baby boomers (ages 59 to 77) were at least twice as likely to say each category was very important compared to Gen Z (ages 18 to 26). Here’s the breakdown:
· Patriotism – Gen Z 32%, baby boom 76%
· Belief in God/religion – Gen Z 26%, baby boom 65%
· Having children – Gen Z 23%, baby boom 52%
· Agree America is the best place to live – Gen Z 33%, baby boom 66%
In the past two decades, the percentage of people who never attend religious services more than doubled, going from 14% in 2000 to 35% today. Gen Z is the least likely to attend, with 45% who said they never go. That’s compared to 38% of millennials, 31% of Gen X and 23% of baby boomers.
Last year, Audacy reported that Americans age 12 to 26 don’t have much trust in institutions, according to poll results released by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation .
As for their attitudes about America, Gen Z’s lack of belief that it’s the greatest nation to live in has contributed to it falling out of the 20 happiest countries for the first time ever. Back in 1974, just 10% of people said they would live in another country, compared to 34% today. More than half of Gen Z said they would settle in another country.
While the overall U.S. rank was 23, it was at 62 for people ages 18 to 29. People age 60 and older ranked it at No. 10.
This sentiment appears to be at least partly linked to the U.S. economy. According to the poll, “18 to 34-year-olds are economically stressed, with a majority dissatisfied with their own personal financial situation.”
More than half of younger respondents said they are dissatisfied with their financial situation and just 8% said they feel economically optimistic. Compared to 16% of baby boomers with student loan debt, 43% of the Gen Z group is carrying this debt, and for 20% it is over $20,000.
Audacy has reported on a range of economic factors putting pressure on Gen Z, from work email stress to mounting credit card debt . In the wake of the student loan debt crisis, more are even looking into career avenues that don’t require a college degree , while others are getting more assertive about asking for a raise .
Policy issues are another area where Gen Z’s value differences are apparent. Compared to baby boomers, they are more likely to support gay marriage, want an end to transgender discrimination, believe the country is not doing enough to deal with climate change, and to be in favor of making cuts to the defense budget. Boomers are more likely to support increasing funding for border security as a way to address immigration.
While a good portion of Gen Z felt these 2024 top election issues were important, baby boomers were more likely to believe they are important: Social Security (51% to 83%), dealing with China (40% to 70%), the federal deficit (35% to 62%), crime and safety (60% to 86%), immigration and border security (49% to 73%), abortion (52% to 64%) and the performance of the stock market (22% to 31%).
For Gen Z, top issues were: what you pay in taxes, inflation and the cost of living, what corporations pay in taxes, and healthcare.
With college campus protests making headlines in recent months, the Israel-Hamas war has also emerged as a policy issue Gen Z is known to be outspoken about. Per the survey, it is “one of the sharpest policy differences by age we have seen over a 40-year period,” and it is impacting support of Democrat President Joe Biden among the key demographic.
Gen Z voters continue to identify with the Democratic party by at least 20 percentage points compared to the Republican party. Still, they are also showing less interest in the upcoming 2024 election overall (expected to be another faceoff with Biden and former President Donald Trump of the GOP).
“Multiple national surveys are showing an unusually low level of interest among the youngest voters in the presidential election,” said the poll. Although election interest typically lags with younger voters, this election cycle has it plummeting – just 32% of young voters were interested, compared to 56% in 2020.
Value shifts might be shaped by how different generations get their information. Gen Z if far more likely to get news via the internet and social media and is less likely to support banning the social media application TikTok.
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