It seems like just a few minutes ago, the curmudgeons of the world were blaming the millennial generation for all of society’s problems. Newspapers were folding, Sears and Applebees were closing their doors, and it was all because millennials were allegedly eating Tide Pods (which didn’t happen) and avocado toast (which you should try).
Then, just like that, a new generation stormed onto the scene to steal our attention.
Gen Z, also known as “Zoomers,” were mostly infants or toddlers around the time of the September 11 attacks, pre-teens when the first Black U.S. President was elected, and spent formative educational time in a classroom full of Zoom squares at home.
It has yet to be determined what Zoomers will be accused of destroying. However, it is clear that they are already significantly impacting all areas of culture.
I recently visited with Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, about how Gen Z is making its mark on the political arena. Deckman is the author of “The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy.” We discussed some of the findings of her book and how Generation Z approaches issues around faith and organized religion.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Craig Nash:
At Good Faith Media, we provide content that is at the intersection of faith and culture, and we broadly define both of those. From 2016 until now, it seems like culture has been largely about politics. Your book is called “The Politics of Gen Z,” and most of your data is about political engagement and beliefs. Do you find that politics is a defining narrative for Gen Z because they came of age during the time of Trump?
Melissa Deckman:
I do think that Gen Z thinks about and approaches politics differently than older Americans.
One of the things I talk about a lot in the book is the impact of social media on their politics. Generation Z is the first generation that both produces and consumes its own media, and most of it is online, for better and worse. Social media has allowed Generation Z to galvanize and mobilize effectively at higher and faster rates than older Americans.
That’s not to say that older Americans also don’t use social media. It’s important for them, but for Gen Z it is where they are hanging out. They are increasingly finding meaning in these spaces, which has the effect of making politics a more pronounced part of their lives than older Americans.
CN:
That’s such an interesting point. I’ve found that my Boomer generation family members are on social media far more than any Zoomer I know, but it feels like Gen Z are more in the driver’s seat of social media.
MD:
In many ways, I think that is very true. It’s interesting to watch this current presidential election cycle because virtually all the news that Gen Z is getting is online. They’re just not consuming network news. They are listening to podcasts and also getting their politics through influencers who aren’t talking about politics as the major focus.
This is largely the province of the political left. But there are influencers on the right, especially appealing to younger men, that have, certainly, more troubling and misogynist ideas coming from them.
We are seeing a growing gap between Gen Z women and men over political issues that many people are paying attention to. As we get further into the election cycle, these are some of the things I’m going to be looking at.
CN:
Because the general consensus is that the first Zoomers were born in 1997, the oldest ones would have voted in the 2016 election, right?
MD:
Yes, a few of them voted in that election, but they have become a larger part of the electorate in every election.
It is notable, though, that in 2018–and this points to their growing interest in politics–there was a surge of voting in the midterm elections. I believe that was a direct result of March For Our Lives and the school shooting that happened in Parkland, Florida. That really galvanized a group of people who had grown up with these lockdown drills.
I’ve heard Gen Z described as the “lockdown generation,” and I think they are more able to connect their experiences to politics and policymaking. This was the first surge of Zoomer political activity.
CN:
It’s interesting that Donald Trump has been a factor in every election they have voted in (including midterms). I’m curious about what you see in your analysis of the data regarding Gen Z involvement in a post-Trump world.
MD:
One of the things political scientists talk about regarding young people in politics is that the late teens and early twenties are the impressionable years. This means that, typically, this is when Americans first start thinking about politics more systematically.
Even though people may change their minds over time, politically speaking, it’s remarkable that the time you first vote and your first party identification is “sticky.” Those kinds of early attachments to political parties and ideas are often predictive of how they will vote decades into the future.
What I think the data shows us now, and what my book highlights, is that Gen Z women in particular have become very liberal. At one point in the book I refer to them as “fiercely feminist.” This generation of women is far more likely to identify as feminist than older American women, and certainly more than young men.
They care passionately about equality, whether in terms of women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, or racial equality. And those are deeply held perspective that will last beyond this next election cycle.
They embrace a multiracial democracy and they may not use this terminology, but also a multi-faith democracy as well. This is a generation that looks very different than other generations. They are less white, identify as LGBTQ more, are less religious and more progressive in lots of ways.
Millennials also hold generally progressive views on lots of political issues. They care about the climate, gender rights, etc.
Editor’s Note: “The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy” was released earlier this month and can be purchased wherever books are sold.
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