The Morning Consult’s latest poll, “Understanding Gen-Z,” examines the most diverse and best-credentialed generation thus far.
Gen-Z is comprised of those born between 1997 and 2012. The Morning Consult notes in the poll that research on Gen-Z is in preliminary phases, as the first Gen-Z adults are just now entering the workforce.
The poll highlights six notable traits about Generation Z, some of which come as a shock.
1. Gen-Z Adults Ranked ‘Spirituality’ as Their Lowest Value
When asked what the most important value is to their identity, 81 percent of those polled said “honesty.” Seventy-two percent of respondents said “responsibility,” and 71 percent said “commitment.” While all of these attributes are a testament to the hard-working nature of Gen-Z, their lowest-ranked value was “spirituality.” Only 39 percent of respondents said “spirituality” was the most important value to their identity.
2. One-Quarter of Gen-Z Adults Aspire to Be Famous
As influencer culture grows more prevalent among young Americans, it really is no surprise that nearly one-quarter of Gen-Z adults aspire to be famous. The Morning Consult reported that 23 percent of respondents sair being famous is important to them. That is eight points higher than the response from millennials (Gen Y) and 15 points higher than Generation X.
3. Gen-Z Trusts Government More than Business
When asked how much they trust institutions, Gen-Z said they had a majority of trust in the following areas:
- The military (68%)
- Police (56%)
- The public education system (56%)
- Their local government (55%)
- The Supreme Court (54%)
- The healthcare system (54%)
Due to their age, one of the first presidential election cycles Gen-Z adults have watched and had the ability to vote in was the 2016 election. That was, of course, the election in which Bernie Sanders’s anti-business and socialist platform came to life. Sanders’ ideas may have seeped into the minds of Gen-Z adults who now see Wall Street and elitists as the enemy and big government as the solution.
When asked how much they trust institutions, Gen-Z said they had minimal trust in the following areas:
- Big business (42%)
- The news media (40%)
- Silicon Valley (33%)
- Wall Street (32%)
- Hollywood (29%)
4. Trump’s Election Affected Them More than 9/11
Although the margin is relatively small, 64 percent of Gen-Z adults said President Trump’s election had a bigger effect on their worldview than the 60 percent who said 9/11 had a large effect on their worldview.
5. Fox News and BuzzFeed Are Their Top News Sources
Of the news sources that Gen-Z adults consume the most, Fox News and BuzzFeed tied for the number one spot at 27 percent.
News sources such as ABC News and CNN fell in at third and fourth place, respectively; however, they have declined in viewership among Gen Z comparative to older generations.
Thirty-seven percent of older generations say they consume ABC News on a weekly basis and 25 percent said they consume CNN on a weekly basis. With Gen Z, ABC news has taken a 14-point hit. Only 23 percent of Gen-Z adults say they consume ABC News and CNN on a weekly basis.
6. Chick-fil-A Ranks Higher than Instagram
Gen-Z adults ranked their “most loved brands,” and notoriously Christian brand Chick-fil-A ranked higher among the respondents than Instagram did.
Chick-fil-A came in 11th place, behind companies such as Google, Netflix, Walmart, and Target. Instagram, one of the most popular social media apps, came in at 15th place.
