Gen-Z politics in the future...

[WV222]

This is a interesting question I has always pondered in recent times, especially post-2022. I see this more now with the Palestine college protests. College Democrats and Youth Democrats have broken from the mainstream Dems, openly supporting the protests. We see the furtherance to the right of Turning Point USA, whose leader in Charlie Kirk openly wants to appeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Have we reached a point where echo chambers on social media will prevent any moderating movement from this generation? They continue to spread out on the political spectrum with social issues as the main focus. Continued and growing wealth inequality could push this further as well, maybe even to the point of horseshoe theory at some point.

Please vote in the poll above and discuss in the replies

[Mr. Smith]

1 and 3, as usual.

[jojoju1998]

Gen Z People are ironically, far less educated on civics.

https://wgno.com/us-world-news/national-test-scores-reveal-us-students-losing-proficiency-in-history-and-civics/

And it's getting worse for Gen alpha....

[ProgressiveModerate]

Gen Z People are ironically, far less educated on civics.

https://wgno.com/us-world-news/national-test-scores-reveal-us-students-losing-proficiency-in-history-and-civics/

And it's getting worse for Gen alpha....

Yeah I worry about my generation being illiberal regardless of if it's in a right-wing or left-wing way - I tend to believe at face value this might make us more suspect to right wing misinformation.

[MyLifeIsYours]

They will likely be in the same positioning as the currant political leanings, even while teenagers are still developing their own view of the world. We hear the myth about people with left leaning maturing into conservative as they age, when the truth Iis those who develop political views at an earlier age will maintain their position through their lifetime. The question remains about the neutrals who start having children and get married. Polls have shown a certain type of Millennial that has drifted rightward are those very people I'm describing. They were not people who participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests or voted at all when they were 18-22. Political engagement was not in the veins until they started to mature and felt hostility towards the left bent of those younger than themselves. They are on the older end of Millennials(1981-1985) than the younger end of Millennials(1993-1996), who are as left leaning as Gen Z. 

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Gen Z People are ironically, far less educated on civics.

https://wgno.com/us-world-news/national-test-scores-reveal-us-students-losing-proficiency-in-history-and-civics/

And it's getting worse for Gen alpha....

Note that this is because of declines in civic life broadly and the quality of education and such, not because of some inherent dumbness in my generation.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It will depend who is elected President this year, and what direction the GOP goes in if they finally sweat out their Trump fever.

If Trump is elected, history will repeat itself from 2016.

If Biden gets re-elected they become more disengaged until a new national candidate comes along to excite them.

[wnwnwn]

People with little knowledge of history are easy to manipulate.

[Obama24]

The left wing of Gen Z will become more extreme left (I've met more than a few open "anarcho communists" among Gen Z), Gen Z right will be even more radical than Trumpism.

Left wing Gen Z hates capitalism, western culture, tradition, history, etc

Right wing Gen Z is racist, sexist, bigoted, transphobic, incelic, etc.

Basically, the terminally online crowd will inherit the earth with Gen Z.

[coloradocowboi]

The answer is most likely left leaning. The conservative bias among Gen Z men is far smaller than the progressive bias among Gen Z women, and by every conceivable metric - earning potential, education, etc. - women will lead this generation. Undereducated, working class males will have a far higher mortality rate, and many who are conservative now could potentially be won back to the left with economic populism.

Of course, we are assuming they will be engaged in the first place. Many won’t. My best guess is millennials will dominate American politics until the 2050s when we start to die off in large numbers anyway

But demographically Gen Z will be a hard nut to crack if the GOP remains hostile to Mexican Americans, Muslims, and LGBTQ people

[Dan the Roman]

They will likely be in the same positioning as the currant political leanings, even while teenagers are still developing their own view of the world. We hear the myth about people with left leaning maturing into conservative as they age, when the truth Iis those who develop political views at an earlier age will maintain their position through their lifetime. The question remains about the neutrals who start having children and get married. Polls have shown a certain type of Millennial that has drifted rightward are those very people I'm describing. They were not people who participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests or voted at all when they were 18-22. Political engagement was not in the veins until they started to mature and felt hostility towards the left bent of those younger than themselves. They are on the older end of Millennials(1981-1985) than the younger end of Millennials(1993-1996), who are as left leaning as Gen Z. 

The idea that ideological change with age is a myth which has been debunked is itself a social media myth based off misreads of a few pieces which themselves conflated studies of partisanship with issue positions.

Historically partisanship in America has been cultural and tribal. Absent either a major realigning event to shift their social miliu or a major personal event(divorce etc) don't tend to change party.  It is a major signifier both to oneself and others to change the party you support, and identifying as a swing voter itself sends signals, many not positive.

However, that disguises substantial ideological shifts. Many of those who took part in occupy wall street may still call themselves Democrats but they have very different politics in the same way Bill and Hillary got their start with McGovern but ended up in a very different place.

It would have been unthinkable socially and career-wise for the Clinton's to have left the Democratic party or contemplated doing so for one instant. However, it would have been equally career ending for them not to shift their positions on a host of issues within that partisan identification.

Colin Powell was still calling himself a Republican up until his death having not endorsed a GOP candidate for several elections.

As long as demographics remain where they are and the GOP brand what it is, GEN Z will be Democratic leaning but it is almost certain a good number of those within it will end up feeling if not embarrassed about their own behavior, determined to condemn the next set of kids for trying it. And dropping a whole lot of their ideological language and baggage.