Why Democrats Should Be Losing Sleep Over Generation Z
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:50 pm
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystah ... 6240a87878
There has been much talk about the Millennial generation being entitled, lazy, and narcissistic. And while Millennials like myself were busy fending off the harsh criticisms and stereotypes constantly flung at our generation, a whole new demographic was slowly emerging from the shadows. Hello, Generation Z! The fiscally responsible, tattoo hating, Republican leaning group, touted by conservatives as their best hope for the future, and as the antithesis of Millennials.
While Millennials still remember cassette players and dial-up Internet, Generation Z grew up hounded by perpetual terrorist threats and school shootings reflecting on them from their Macbook and iPad screens.
They grew up watching Millennials entering the work force with thousands of dollars in school debt, and it seems that they are intent on not making the same mistakes as us.
According to research, Gen Z is more individualistic, more conservative both socially and fiscally, and they’re already making waves of impact on our political system. Gen Z, those born in 1995 or later, is possibly the most conservative generation since World War II, and it is worrying that their impact has been completely overlooked during this election. While our fears might be preemptive, we should not make the mistake of disregarding the intriguing yet also possibly worrying world views of Generation Z.
Oftentimes Millennials have been criticized for being notoriously liberal, but it looks like the generation right behind us has completely rebelled. A U.K. Study at The Gild did a survey of almost 2,000 adults and found that on issues like gay marriage, marijuana legalization, transgender rights, and even tattoos, 59% of Gen Z respondents described their views as ‘conservative’ and ‘moderate’.
Younger generations are famous for being liberal, therefore we mistakenly assumed that Gen Z would vote Democratic. But studies show that Gen Z’s views closely resemble those of Libertarian or Moderate Republicans, and that they related with Donald Trump on issues like national security and job creation.
We can speculate on the reasons why Gen Z differs so much from the previous generations. One facet would be that from the crib they were plunged into the era on the Internet, and grew up in a media obsessed culture that exposed them to terrorism, school shootings, and the staggering budget crisis on a daily basis. They’ve never had to ask anyone for information, directions, or a recipe.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... ard-drift/
Younger generations are actually embracing traditional conservative values more than people realize.
But while not everything is looking up, decision making and moral behavior definitely are. And while many don’t see Millennials as very conservative, they are actually more conservative than Boomers and Gen Xers were when they were growing up. Considering that the latter two generations both got more conservative as they aged, if Millennials and Gen Z do the same, we could see a strong revival of conservative values.
This counters the conventional wisdom that society is on an unstoppable drift towards libertinism and progressivism. Could this be because we’re now tasting the rotten fruit of second-wave feminism, the sexual revolution, and left-wing economics? While the “free love” movement certainly had its immediate pleasures, they were obtained at the expense of the future. Promiscuity trivialized sex and led to rampant hedonism. Hence the expansion of unwed motherhood and divorce, which causes all manner of problems, including increased crime.
There has been much talk about the Millennial generation being entitled, lazy, and narcissistic. And while Millennials like myself were busy fending off the harsh criticisms and stereotypes constantly flung at our generation, a whole new demographic was slowly emerging from the shadows. Hello, Generation Z! The fiscally responsible, tattoo hating, Republican leaning group, touted by conservatives as their best hope for the future, and as the antithesis of Millennials.
While Millennials still remember cassette players and dial-up Internet, Generation Z grew up hounded by perpetual terrorist threats and school shootings reflecting on them from their Macbook and iPad screens.
They grew up watching Millennials entering the work force with thousands of dollars in school debt, and it seems that they are intent on not making the same mistakes as us.
According to research, Gen Z is more individualistic, more conservative both socially and fiscally, and they’re already making waves of impact on our political system. Gen Z, those born in 1995 or later, is possibly the most conservative generation since World War II, and it is worrying that their impact has been completely overlooked during this election. While our fears might be preemptive, we should not make the mistake of disregarding the intriguing yet also possibly worrying world views of Generation Z.
Oftentimes Millennials have been criticized for being notoriously liberal, but it looks like the generation right behind us has completely rebelled. A U.K. Study at The Gild did a survey of almost 2,000 adults and found that on issues like gay marriage, marijuana legalization, transgender rights, and even tattoos, 59% of Gen Z respondents described their views as ‘conservative’ and ‘moderate’.
Younger generations are famous for being liberal, therefore we mistakenly assumed that Gen Z would vote Democratic. But studies show that Gen Z’s views closely resemble those of Libertarian or Moderate Republicans, and that they related with Donald Trump on issues like national security and job creation.
We can speculate on the reasons why Gen Z differs so much from the previous generations. One facet would be that from the crib they were plunged into the era on the Internet, and grew up in a media obsessed culture that exposed them to terrorism, school shootings, and the staggering budget crisis on a daily basis. They’ve never had to ask anyone for information, directions, or a recipe.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... ard-drift/
Younger generations are actually embracing traditional conservative values more than people realize.
But while not everything is looking up, decision making and moral behavior definitely are. And while many don’t see Millennials as very conservative, they are actually more conservative than Boomers and Gen Xers were when they were growing up. Considering that the latter two generations both got more conservative as they aged, if Millennials and Gen Z do the same, we could see a strong revival of conservative values.
This counters the conventional wisdom that society is on an unstoppable drift towards libertinism and progressivism. Could this be because we’re now tasting the rotten fruit of second-wave feminism, the sexual revolution, and left-wing economics? While the “free love” movement certainly had its immediate pleasures, they were obtained at the expense of the future. Promiscuity trivialized sex and led to rampant hedonism. Hence the expansion of unwed motherhood and divorce, which causes all manner of problems, including increased crime.