More than half of Gen Zers (58%) and almost three-fourths of those who identify as Democrats (74%) say the country’s problems can only be solved with a “general change in leadership.” This is according to a new national survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released on January 22.

“The most diverse generation in our nation’s history, Generation Z is hungry for younger political leadership and believes older Americans don’t understand the struggles young people face,” Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI, says. “Adult members of Gen Z express less trust in many of our nation’s institutions than older Americans but participate in politics at similar or higher rates.” 

As with older generations, Gen Z adults are inclined to be Democrats (36%). But just like millennials, they are less likely to identify as Republicans (21%) compared to older Americans. Half of the Gen Z teens surveyed (51%) say they have no political party affiliation. 

Gen Z adults (28%) are less likely to identify as conservative than any generation except for millennials (24%). More than previous generations, Gen Z adults (43%) also identify as liberal.

Regarding religion, Gen Z adults are “notably less likely to be white Christians.” Instead, apart from millennials, Generation Z identifies more as religiously unaffiliated than older generations.

“Gen Z focus group participants expressed concerns about a wide range of political issues that their generation faces, including healthcare and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, racial discrimination, and rising crime rates,” the report said. “Yet their top concern — regardless of race, ethnicity, party, socioeconomic status, gender, or LGBTQ identity — was the economy.”

The margin of error is plus or minus 1.58 percentage points for respondents 18 and older, resulting in a 95% confidence rate. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.51 percentage points for respondents 13 and older, resulting in a 95% confidence rate. To read the full report, click