Young Republicans belonging to Generation Z are generally more liberal than those who identify as being conservative in the generations before them, according to a new poll.
Defined as being born after 1996, more than half of Generation Z Republicans believe government should play a more active role in solving problems, the Pew Research Center found in a study released on Thursday. Researchers, however, cautioned that Generation Z’s views could change.
The Generation Z figure can be compared to more than one-third of millennial Republicans, born between 1981 and 1996; almost three-in-10 of Gen X Republicans, born between 1965 and 1980; less than a quarter of baby boomer Republicans, born between 1946 to 1964; and only a handful of silent generation Republicans, born between 1928 and 1945.
Attitudes toward race mirror the same trend. A majority of Gen Z Republicans say more racial and ethnic diversity benefits the country. This contrasts with roughly 30 percent of Republicans in the older generations.
Gen Z Republicans also follow the trend when it comes to the environment. Less than 20 percent think the Earth is warming due to natural patterns. In comparison, about three-in-10 millennial and Gex X Republicans feel the same way, while roughly 40 percent of baby boomer Republicans and silent generation Republicans hold similar opinions.
The center’s research also found that, irrespective of generation and ideological affiliation, most Americans liked the growth of women running for office.
Pew Research Center surveyed 920 U.S. teens aged 13 to 17 online between Sept. 17 and Nov. 25, 2018. The poll was analyzed against another study of 10,682 adults online between Sept. 24 and Oct. 7, 2018. Margins of error for results range from plus or minus 2.6 percentage points to 5.1 percentage points, depending on the relevant research.
