Talk:Political views of Generation Z

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Excessive reliance on primary polling and sources that don't mention Generation Z.

Too many of the sources here are primary cites to polls or to sources that only talk vaguely about "young people" without specifying Gen Z. We should try to replace them with sources that discuss Generation Z by name, since many more such sources are available now and since there's a significant risk of WP:OR / WP:SYNTH given that definitions of generations can vary. Aquillion (talk) 16:31, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

Generation Z is simply a term for a group of people born between certain years. If a source polls people from that age range without explicitly mentioning "Generation Z", why should it matter? That just seems unnecessarily restrictive. BappleBusiness^[talk] 04:07, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Well, one problem is that many of the sources don't specifically focus on Gen Z as an age range (a lot of them just talk about "younger voters" or "people under 35" or other age ranges that can't meaningfully be described as mapping to Gen Z.) Another problem is that the definition of Gen Z is vague, so if an editor adds a poll that doesn't mention Gen Z, they're using their personal opinion to define it, which isn't acceptable. And the ultimate problem is that ultimately our job is to report how sources have characterized Gen Z, specifically, as a group. Using polls directly for that is already something to do with caution (since they're WP:PRIMARY sources; we can use them in some situations but shouldn't have sections that are nothing but primary sources.) Using a poll that has an age range that sort of corresponds to Gen Z, but which doesn't call it Gen Z, is getting to the point of performing WP:OR / WP:SYNTH; if it's true that those polls represent significant aspects of Gen Z then it should be easy to find sources saying such. Otherwise we run the risk of individual editors digging up random polls from any poll, anywhere, that has ever broken their results down by age, and pulling out whatever random aspects form those polls that they personally feel are important, then treating that as defining aspects of Gen Z - at that point it's definitely WP:OR. Here's how I would put it: If a poll mentions Gen Z by name, then we can include it as a primary source; and if a secondary source covering a poll describes the generational cohort in a way that unambiguously maps directly to Gen Z, then we can include that, too, even if they don't use Gen Z by name. But primary citations to polls that don't mention Gen Z strikes me as a hard no - that's inviting WP:OR / WP:SYNTH. There is a ton of secondary coverage about Gen Z's political beliefs now, so if someone is trying to make an argument using nothing but a primary source to a poll that doesn't mention Gen Z at all, that seems to me to be a red alarm that what they're trying to add probably doesn't have enough coverage to be WP:DUE to begin with. --Aquillion (talk) 21:46, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

What is NPOV violation re File:20240625_Global_warming_across_generations_-_warming_stripes.svg ?

20240625 Global warming across generations - warming stripes.svg

@Trakking: What about this graphic violates WP:NPOV? It contains objective temperatures and objectively described generations, similar to Climate Central's chart titled "Born in a warming world". —RCraig09 (talk) 20:02, 26 June 2024 (UTC)

User:Trakking I'm looking forward to hearing your reasoning. —RCraig09 (talk) 03:46, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

User:Trakking I'm looking forward to hearing your reasoning. —RCraig09 (talk) 20:01, 4 July 2024 (UTC)

American bias in the preamble

This article is about Generation Z in the Western world, but the preamble describes exclusively American youth, with an American understanding of "leftism/rightism". For Europe, such descriptions as "progressive and pro-government" and "a more favorable view of socialism than previous generations" are far from unambiguous, which is emphasized below in the article, where it is written that the far-right is most popular among young people. The article needs to be either edited or renamed to "Political views of Generation Z in the US" 188.32.244.225 (talk) 10:08, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

Comparison with other generations is necessary

Just saying what the position of a certain generation is in isolation isn't enough. What is important is not just which view is most common or which party is most popular in the generation in question, but also whether its prevalence is greater or lesser than in other generations. When a certain position or party prevails in a certain country across the board at a given moment, this will be true of the generation in question as well, but it may be more so or less so than in the population at large. Articles in the media usually say things like 'Compared to their parents / to other generations, Generation Z are more likely / less likely to support/oppose X'. By often just giving the positions of Generation Z respondents outside of any broader social context, this article is much less informative. 62.73.72.3 (talk) 18:03, 7 September 2024 (UTC)

Some sources reporting a rightward shift in Gen-Z (white) men

1. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/aug/07/gen-z-voters-political-ideology-gender-gap

2. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/aug/05/young-men-voters-us-election-trump-harris

3. https://jacobin.com/2024/09/walz-vance-masculinity-gen-z

These reports should be reflected in the article. 62.73.72.3 (talk) 09:33, 13 September 2024 (UTC)

To add, I have sources from the BBC and other news orgs which support your view:

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046kr4j

2. https://www.economist.com/international/2024/03/13/why-the-growing-gulf-between-young-men-and-women

3. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-young-people-right-wing-voters-far-right-politics-eu-elections-parliament/ ,

4. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/18/upshot/polls-trump-harris-young-men.html

5. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/despair-makes-young-us-men-more-conservative-ahead-us-election-poll-shows-2024-04-12/

6. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/how-far-right-gained-traction-with-europes-youth-2024-06-13/

7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/23/gen-z-republican-polling/

8. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/young-mens-economic-prospects-are-shifting-politics-rcna174384

9. https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-gen-z-support-young-voters-1948309 OpenLibra8008 (talk) 21:29, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

This article isn't under any form of page protection, so feel free to make the WP:BOLD edit and add content/details about the shift to the article. Some1 (talk) 21:41, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

This article should be radically altered

most of this article is based on speculation made by mainstream media analysts in the late 2010s and early 2020s, when Gen Z was still coming of age, and is based on now-shattered illusions that it was "the most progressive generation ever", which fell apart after the rise in popularity of Manosphere figures like Andrew Tate, Adin Ross and Sneako, which contributed massively to the rise in misogynistic sentiments among Gen Z men, the rise of the Tradwife movement among some Gen Z women and the results of the 2024 US presidential election, which revealed that a majority of Gen Z men and a large number of Gen Z women(although still not the majority) voted for Trump, killing off the belief that Gen Z was more progressive than millennials.

This article should be altered to reflect these recent trends among Gen Z, SPECIALLY the political gap between men and women in this generation and the rise of both the manosphere and "tradwife" influencers Araukan (talk) 17:04, 2 December 2024 (UTC)

While I am personally amused that part of Generation Z has more reactionary ideas than my grandfather and his peers (and I am middle aged), we will need written sources to update the article. We can not write articles based on our personal observations. Dimadick (talk) 14:05, 3 December 2024 (UTC)

I attempted to incorporate these suggestions into the wiki, but keep in mind that these studies are based on Gen Z's 'political identity,' not individual views on policies. If we were basing it on policies, the political gap would close significantly. Additionally, Gen Z is statistically shown to be the generation that lies the most when it comes to politics, making these claims a bit sketchy. The information I presented only reflects the United States, so it may not be accurate for other parts of the world. Ceo of wimbus (talk) 21:31, 5 December 2024 (UTC)

After fact-checking the claim that Millennials are more progressive than Gen Z, the data doesn't support it— a significant portion of Millennials voted for Trump in 2024. While Millennials may have been more progressive in the past, this election cycle shows a shift in their political leanings. I'm not an expert on this topic, so feel free to make any edits if needed! Ceo of wimbus (talk) 21:42, 5 December 2024 (UTC)

If that was garnered via exit polls, I do not know how much weight I would put into them as they fail to capture all mail-in ballots, and only capture registered voters. 2020-2024 had more bills passed restricting voter access than any other period between Pres Elections.

The Brennan Center for Justice has also found that in the 11 years since the Shelby County v. Holder decision removed a key check against voting restrictions, at least 31 states have enacted 114 restrictive voting laws.Brennan Center For Justice Therefore, exit polling is not a reliable source on cohort characteristics.

Lastly, is the vote count total statistically significant, valid, and accurate, in representing the relationship between "Conservative Ideology" and "Millenials who voted for Trump." or can it be explained by something else like protest votes or the fact that women vote more than men, but men skew greater towards trump. Center For American Women and Politics Bike86 (talk) 22:35, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

None of these articles, sources and discussions take into account the vast swathes of Gen Z who did not vote in 2024. There is a large missing contingent of people who did not turn out, for a number of reasons such as their support of Palestine, disillusionment with Biden, the perceived sidelining of Tim Walz, and the appeals to the center right with the Cheneys being featured prominently in the campaign. Are we taking into account the discrepancies from the previous 2020 election and the collapse of Biden's cohort? None of the so called Biden coalition would have been accounted for in exit polling, since they did not turn up to the polls at all. Is there really evidence out there that a number of former progressive Biden voters suddenly became Trump voters? How common is it for people who once considered themselves progressive, or left wing, changed their views so drastically that they would flip to becoming Sneako and Nick Fuentes viewers? And regionally, social mores are much different in places like the Bible belt, than on the west coast where Gen Z may swing farther left. This needs to be accounted for. 24.21.118.145 (talk) 09:05, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

"How common is it for people who once considered themselves progressive, or left wing, changed their views so drastically" Not uncommon. We already have an articles on the Sanders–Trump voters, people who switched from supporting Bernie Sanders to supporting Donald Trump. Dimadick (talk) 23:33, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

I would hold off on using primarily US data in the evaluation of Gen-Z political ideology. While some of these statements seem to be accurate, recent protests and regime changes worldwide (Nepal, Bangladesh etc.) would suggest different. UnknownPotatos (talk) 07:15, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Lede

Lede has various issues. It focuses too much on the United States, does not include populism (which is a rising trend mentioned in the article later on), and barely addresses the abandonment of establishment parties (as in Europe) and political regimes (as in Southeast Asia right now). I am sure there are other issues that could be prioritized over the 2024 US election, which was important yes, but was only one election in one country (Gen Z could vote in 2020 too in the US btw, not even taking into account other countries) Catboy69 (talk) 00:02, 15 October 2025 (UTC)

"as in Southeast Asia right now" Can you clarify what you mean here? Myanmar is still under the control of a military junta, and the Myanmar civil war has been ongoing for the last 4 years. Vietnam has new leadership under Tô Lâm, but the Communist Party of Vietnam still dominates the country. Thailand is politically unstable since 2023, and the ambitious plans for democratic reforms have been largely blocked by an alliance of "monarchists, the army and a handful of business tycoons". Cambodia is still under hereditary dictatorship, and the Cambodian People's Party has dominated the country since 1979. I don't see actual changes in the region's regimes. Dimadick (talk) 10:15, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

I was referring to Gen Z protests in Asia, particularly Bangladesh and Nepal. I probably should have said South Asia instead of Southeast Asia. Catboy69 (talk) 13:07, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

Addition of a Social Pressures Section

I would like to propose an addition of a "Social Pressures" section about the shifting social pressure that Gen-Z experiences. While personal rhetoric is not enough, I have no doubt that there will be sources to back me up in saying that the following issues are new social pressures for this generation:

Smartphones and Internet / Social Media The rise of mass social media and the virality that comes with it is a new social pressure on Gen-Z, especially the younger part, which (this is personal bias, but I believe would be well supported) leads to radicalization, potentially explaining the right lean for some, while also showing the heavy left support in statistics.

Post-Secondary Planning At least where I live, it has become a lot harder to get a post secondary education in recent years, with many programs having average admission grades in the high 90%s, think 97% - 99%, higher than almost ever, which leads to higher anxiety over post-secondary plans.

Social Divide Once again this is personal rhetoric that I am pretty sure that facts/sources would support. While Gen-z may itself be a partial cause of this, Gen-Z is/was growing up in a time with a high level of political and social divide, with many families outright shunning people with opposing political views, especially in two party states. The social divide for income is also higher than it ever has been. While I have not done deep research into either topic, from what I know, as well as personal rhetoric, it seems like a pretty safe conclusion that these combined factors lead to lower social awareness / acceptance / sociability?

Pandemic While touched on, I could see it being moved (and expanded on), if the proposed section was created.

I think that the above issues should be researched / sourced and either be created as a Social Pressures category or added / incorporated into existing categories in the most relevant way possible, as I see them (personal rhetoric and bias here) as a shaping factor that is relatively unique to Gen-Z UnknownPotatos (talk) 07:35, 8 January 2026 (UTC)