Is Gen Z really more conservative?

No -- instead, they are more likely to support radical change

According to several recent articles, Gen Z — especially Gen Z men — are strikingly more conservative than the Millennials before them.

It’s true that more young adults voted for Trump in 2024 than did in 2020, but, as I pointed out in a recent article in the Atlantic, that’s not the same as identifying as conservative. In fact, fewer 18- to 29-year-old Americans identified as conservative in 2024 than in 2012, the last year all 18- to 29-year-olds were Millennials. Thus, Gen Z young adults, even the men, are actually less conservative than Millennials at the same age (see Figure 1).