Generation Z is emerging as the age group most willing to see political violence as acceptable, with new polling showing 1 in 5 say it can sometimes be justified to achieve political goals, Newsweek reported.
A YouGov survey conducted Sept. 11 found that 20% of Gen Z respondents support political violence under certain circumstances, compared with 14% of millennials, 8% of Generation X, and just 3% of baby boomers and the Silent Generation. The results were released one day after the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk in Utah.
Experts said the findings reflect both traditional patterns and new cultural pressures. Historically, young people have been more open to political violence, but scholars point to economic hardship, social media, and shifting gender expectations as unique drivers for today's generation.
The past year has seen multiple high-profile attacks tied to young suspects.
In July 2024, President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That December, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City, allegedly by 27-year-old Luigi Mangione. And on Sept. 10, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was charged with killing Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus.
While Mangione's alleged motive centered on hatred of the health insurance industry, investigators say Robinson leaned left politically and grew more supportive of LGBTQ causes before the shooting. The man accused of trying to kill Trump, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had researched both Trump and former President Joe Biden online, though prosecutors noted his focus was mainly on Trump.
Republican leaders have condemned the violence.
Vice President JD Vance, guest-hosting "The Charlie Kirk Show," blamed "left-wing extremism." FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson "subscribed to left-wing ideology," citing comments from his family.
Lucas Walsh, a youth politics professor at Monash University, said Gen Z faces "climate crisis, cost-of-living pressures, geopolitical conflict and the divisive platforms of social media," all of which have "amplified the justification of political violence."
Economic insecurity looms large. McKinsey data shows that 1 in 4 Gen Z workers hold multiple jobs, more than half live paycheck to paycheck, and housing costs consume over 30% of their income for most renters.
Despite efforts by the Trump administration to control inflation, the Consumer Price Index rose 2.9% in August compared to the same period a year earlier, while the income needed to afford a median-priced home has increased by 70% since 2019.
Joan Williams, a sociologist at UC Hastings College of the Law, said young men are particularly affected. "When men's masculinity is threatened, they tend to double down on masculinity: Supporting political violence is one way of doing so," she said.
Analysts also cite the influence of digital culture. Jackson Katz of the Young Men's Research Initiative said Gen Z has grown up immersed in violent media, leading to "a numbing effect … even dissociation, like trauma victims experience."
Although most young Americans still value democracy, Walsh warned that belief is "being tested to its limits" as online extremism flourishes and economic frustrations deepen.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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