New Poll: Gen Z Is Less Religious, Less Republican Than Other Generations

Russell Contreras at Axios reports on the findings of PRRI’s new surveyand Generation Z’s most distinctive characteristics. Among Gen Z adults, 43% identify as liberal. This demographic group holds particular influence, with members of Gen Z accounting for roughly 1 in 6 Americans who are eligible to vote. The new PRRI survey also finds more than half of Gen Z teens do not identify with a major party, compared with 43% of Gen Z adults. “Clearly, Gen Z does not like to be labeled, and they’re not necessarily wanting to hang their hat with a particular political party these days,” said PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D.

Are Younger Americans Shifting Back to the Right?

In an analysis for The Washington Post, Philip Bump delves intogenerational tension between younger and older Americans found in PRRI’s new survey of Generation Z Americans. Racially, among teenage members of Gen Z, there is a 2:1 ratio between white and Hispanic Americans, compared with a 10:1 ratio of white and Hispanic members of the Silent Generation. Additionally, younger Americans are more likely to identify as political independents or not align with either political party. Finally, while more than half of Gen Zers agree that the country’s biggest problems can only be solved once older Americans have given up power, Republican Gen Zers reject this idea, with around half saying America will be worse off once younger generations hold power.

New Hampshire’s GOP Electorate Doesn’t Look Like Iowa’s

Looking at yesterday’s New Hampshire primary, Geoffrey Skelley for 538/ABC News shows that Republican primary voters in New Hampshire are less conservative and religious than GOP caucus goers in Iowa. According to PRRI data, only 8% of Granite Staters identify as white evangelical Christians, compared with 19% of Iowans. Despite key differences in the states’ electorates, former President Trump held off GOP challenger Nikki Haley,winning the New Hampshire primary by more than ten percentage points.

Gen Z’s View on Religion and Politics — And What It Has To Do With Their Parents

For Deseret News, Kelsy Dallasexamines the connection between Gen Z teens’ partisanship and religious affiliation and their parents. PRRI’s new survey of Gen Z Americans found that large majorities of Gen Z teens identify with the same party as their parents, though as Gen Zers get older, they begin to identify more with the Democratic Party. When it comes to religion, Gen Z teens also take cues from their parents — 83% of white Christian teens and 85% of Christian teens of color report belonging to the same religion as their parents.