By T‑Paine
Published: 08-22-2025
If you watch Fox News or scroll through Boomer Facebook pages, you’ll hear the same refrain: “The kids are going conservative.” Supposedly, Generation Z is breaking away from Democrats, abandoning progressive politics, and shifting to the right. But the data just doesn’t back that up. The reality is that Gen Z isn’t flocking to Republicans — they’re rejecting the two-party system entirely, leaning left on economics and social issues while refusing to identify with either party.
According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), most Gen Z teens and young adults identify as independents rather than Republicans or Democrats. Despite this, their views consistently skew liberal on issues like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice. PRRI notes that Gen Z overwhelmingly believes “a generational change in political leadership is necessary to solve the country’s problems.” (prri.org)
That independence has been misread by older generations as a rightward turn. But Gallup’s long-term data shows younger Americans consistently remain the least Republican-leaning of any generation. Instead, the percentage calling themselves “independent” is skyrocketing, leaving both parties scrambling to capture their attention (Gallup).
Meanwhile, support for leftist ideas is growing. A Gallup poll found that Americans aged 18–29 now view socialism more positively (51%) than capitalism (45%) — a reversal of older generational attitudes (Wikipedia, citing Gallup). Across the Atlantic, a 2021 poll by the Institute of Economic Affairs revealed that two-thirds of young Britons also prefer socialism to capitalism. This isn’t conservatism — it’s a hunger for alternatives to an economic system that’s failing them.
When it comes to actual voting behavior, Gen Z isn’t leaning right either. In the 2022 midterm elections, voters under 30 supported Democrats by about 65%, according to analysis by Catalist and Politico (Politico). That margin is nearly identical to their 2020 support for Biden. If Gen Z were “going conservative,” we’d see it at the ballot box. Instead, what we see is loyalty dropping for Democrats — but not a corresponding spike for Republicans.
In fact, the biggest movement isn’t rightward at all — it’s away from traditional politics. A BYU study in 2024 found that Gen Z students reported being more polarized, more independent, and less Republican than previous generations (BYU). The drop in Democratic identification is better explained by frustration: with the party’s centrism, its aging leadership, and its failure to deliver on climate action, debt relief, and economic reform.
There is, however, one notable wrinkle: gender. Some research, including coverage from Axios and GNN, points to a rise in conservative identification among young men. But this doesn’t reflect a wholesale generational shift — it reflects a gendered backlash fueled by online radicalization, reactionary culture wars, and conservative influencers targeting disaffected young men. Young women, by contrast, are more progressive than ever, balancing out the numbers overall.
So why are older commentators so eager to declare a conservative youth wave that doesn’t exist? Part of it is wishful thinking. Conservatives have been waiting for decades for a “youth right turn” that never comes. Another part is media laziness: Gen Z dropping out of Democratic party identification looks like “leaving the left,” but in reality, it’s a rejection of the entire two-party stranglehold. Disaffection is not the same as conservatism.
The real story is this: Gen Z is tired of business-as-usual politics. They’re living through economic collapse, endless wars, and climate disasters while billionaires and politicians keep cashing checks. Their rejection of both parties isn’t apathy — it’s anger. And that anger is far more likely to fuel leftist movements, socialist organizing, and independent power-building than a mass conversion to the GOP.
It’s an old tactic to try and dissuade you — if they convince you that their views are popular, that their views are the future, that their views are the inevitable conclusion — you’re less likely to have the energy to fight. It’s why they flood the internet with bots (Global Witness) to push their disinformation. The goal isn’t to persuade you, it’s to exhaust you — to make you think you’re outnumbered, to make you doubt your own values, and to push you into silence. But the reality is, the numbers are on your side. Every poll shows that Gen Z is more progressive than the generations before them. The disinformation is smoke and mirrors; the real fear of the political establishment is that young people will realize just how much collective power they actually hold.
When Gen Z walks away from Democrats, they aren’t turning into conservatives. They’re turning into something new, and that’s exactly what terrifies the political establishment.