The Gen Z Crack-Up?
We surveyed over a thousand young people across the anglophone world to get a sense of their views on politics and culture.
Generational discourse has been dominated by one idea over the past few years: Gen Zers, especially the men, have been consumed by a right-wing turn that threatens to upend the seemingly stable liberal consensus we in the West have enjoyed for 70-odd years. Reaching a fever pitch with the election of Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election and fueled by an endless deluge of crypto bros, podcasters, streamers, bone-smashers, and looksmaxxers, this narrative has become almost taken for granted among those who consider themselves in the know politically. Now Jacobin, in collaboration with the Center for Strategic Politics, has gone into the field to answer one question: Is it true?
We surveyed 1,200 members of Generation Z (ages 18 to 28) from across the anglophone world (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia) on religion, relationships, sex, politics, gender, and immigration. You can read more of the survey online at jacobin.com, but what follows are some of our findings.
Everyone Is Lonely
Across every country surveyed and across gender, about 90% of respondents have fewer than six friends they see at least once a week or speak to daily. A sizable minority, about 10%, say they have none. Contrary to the popular narrative of a male loneliness crisis, the reality appears to be even worse: a generalized loneliness crisis that cuts across demographics.
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