Jarring generation gap: America is divided on values, economics, politics
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Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios
From values to voting to happiness to economics, America has more than a red-blue divide: It has a massive generational divide.
Why it matters: If you're trying to run a successful organization or sell a product or service, you'd better understand these nuances.
Zoom in: In his Six-Chart Sunday newsletter, Washington strategist Bruce Mehlman spells out startling differences that have emerged between older and younger generations across a striking array of topics:
1. Values: Members of Gen Z are less than half as likely than Baby Boomers to say patriotism, belief in God or having children are "very important," according to a recent Public Opinion Strategies polling report, "Key Data by Generation."
- Another Zoomer casualty: Believing America is the "best place to live."
- When it comes to religion, millennials and Gen Zers are much more likely to consider themselves atheists, agnostic or "nothing in particular."
2. Economics: Americans 18-29 were more likely to say they have a positive impression of socialism (44% favorable) than capitalism (40%), a 2022 Pew poll found.
- Just 28% of seniors viewed socialism favorably.
3. Political parties: Millennials and members of Gen Z are twice as likely to consider themselves political independents (52%) as the oldest generation of Americans (26%), according to Gallup data.
- Mehlman, who writes the "Age of Disruption" Substack, told Axios younger voters are shunning "the two tired parties."
4. The Middle East: Americans under 30 are twice as likely to sympathize with Palestinians than the U.S. population as a whole, according to Pew data from February.
Mehlman told Axios: "I got the idea [for this "Generation Gaps" mashup] when reading a Washington Post story showing the favorite music genres by generation that I ended up not even using!"
- "I was disappointed that 18 to 29-year-olds were one of the few demographics not loving 'classic rock,' and started a Sunday piece entitled, 'The Kids Are Not Alright.'"
Go deeper: Two more generation-defining trends ... Gift link, "The most popular, obscure, Democratic, Republican and hated music in America."
