Overshadowed by the media and the government’s focus on adults and businesses devastated by the impact of the coronavirus are America’s students (Generation Z), who are ripping up their life plans after losing jobs, college tuitions, and faith in President Trump.
Nearly half of high school and college students said that they have changed their post-graduation plans, suggesting the virus crisis “will have a lasting impact on Generation Z,” according to a wide-ranging youth survey.
Like many adults, they have been hit economically by the state shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, said the survey for the Young America’s Foundation and The Federalist. Some 29% said that they have lost jobs and hours. And a third said that the post-secondary schools they attend “have not dispersed refunds or offered financial credit for spring semester classes which have been suspended, cut short, and/or moved online,” read the survey analysis shared with Secrets.
Their confidence in Trump is also low. While a majority feel good about their governor’s efforts to fight the virus, Trump’s actions haven’t wowed those surveyed. Some 51% of high schoolers and 52% of college students said that Trump’s response to the coronavirus made “less confident in the country’s ability to deal with this crisis.”
But they don’t appear bitter and instead embrace the suspension of normal life in America to fight the virus. The survey found that three quarters believe “these disruptions and cancellations are necessary to keep people safe, even if they negatively impact their generation.”
The survey was the first to look at the impact of the coronavirus crisis on students. Echelon Insights surveyed 1,600 13- to 22-year-olds, split evenly between high school and post-secondary institutions. Most were from cities and suburbs, and 30% described themselves as conservative, 20% progressive, and 39% moderate.
It found that Generation Z is very aware of the crisis, with 82% paying close attention to it.
For example, they have keen views on China’s blame in it, with high schoolers are more hawkish. Some 48% of high school students said the virus spread was China’s fault and that “Chinese leaders covered up the severity and devastating impact of COVID-19.” But among post-secondary students, said the survey analysis, “48% believe the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is mostly our own government’s fault for not responding properly.”
