Translated with AI
Generation Z is no longer viewed as a single group: research shows that two subgenerations have emerged within it, each with distinct political and cultural orientations, Axios reports.
According to researchers, by 2024, the generation will have completely split into two groups, with differing views on politics, social institutions, and technology. Young men are noted to be more likely to hold right-wing views, and differences are evident not only in electoral preferences but also in trust in brands, media, and opinion leaders.
The terms "Generation Z 1.0" and "Generation Z 2.0" were coined by Rachel Janfaza, author of the newsletter The Up and Up. According to her, the first cohort graduated from high school before the pandemic and formed in the absence of TikTok and amid the Black Lives Matter movement. The second cohort graduated after the pandemic, having endured quarantine restrictions, mask wearing, and distance learning.
Janfaza emphasizes that no generation in modern history has faced a pandemic of such scale and such rapid changes in communication and cultural practices.
Amanda Edelman of Edelman's Gen Z Lab notes that Z 1.0 came of age during Trump's first term and rebelled against the right, but with the arrival of Z 2.0, "a huge backlash has begun."
In the spring of 2026, a Yale University poll found that 52 percent of voters aged 18-22 supported Democrats in the congressional elections—a reversal from the year before, when Republicans held a nearly 12-point advantage.
Edelman research finds a decline in young people's trust in journalists, CEOs, and even other clients.
Janfaza believes that during the pandemic, adults in power "really undermined the trust of Generation Z" by making them feel like "guinea pigs under these restrictions."
Observers believe that the divide within Generation Z will deepen: the years separating the older and younger members have already destroyed the previous sense of unity.
