Will Gen Z cancel America? | The Hill

An undeniable trend of anti-Americanism has surfaced in the many anti-Israel protests currently raging across the country. Some demonstrations carried the American flag, while others proudly displayed the flag of Hezbollah, the terrorist organization responsible for the bombings of the U.S. embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. Some commentators have even claimed that “Death to America” ​​has emerged as a “key slogan of American anti-Israel agitators.”

Although overt anti-Americanism at demonstrations is rare, it inevitably raises questions about how attached today’s youth are to their homeland. Older generations are always eager to complain about young people, but mounting evidence shows that Gen Zers identify less with their country than their Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers did before them. There is.

Patriotism means love of country and is strengthened by a shared sense of what it means to be an American. Studies have revealed significant ideological and generational differences in national attitudes regarding these fundamental issues.

Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, have long been divided on issues of patriotism, but the gap has widened sharply over the past decade. Today, liberals are more likely than conservatives to feel that being American is important to them, to express pride in being American, and to believe that there is a cultural core to American identity. The quality is extremely low. They are likely to say that other countries are better than the United States, that the United States is a racist society, and that the political system requires structural change.

More worrying, however, are the large generational gap in national consciousness and the widening ideological divide among young people. For example, the 2022 American National Election Study (ANES) found that there was a 36-point difference between liberals and conservatives over the age of 65 on the question of how important “being American” is to their identity. 60% of liberals and 96% of conservatives. This group says that “being American” is “very” or “very” important to them. By contrast, the gap between liberals and conservatives among those under 30 (Gen Z) was 55 points, with only 18% of young liberals saying being American was important to their identity. . More recently, in the Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll, 74% of Republicans aged 18 to 29 said they would rather live in America than anywhere else, while Democrats aged 18 to 29 said they would rather live in America than anywhere else. It was found that only 55% of In the same poll, young Democrats (but not young Republicans) expressed much higher trust in the United Nations than in the U.S. military.

A standard question for understanding the subjective meaning of national identity is to ask what is important to make someone a “true” American. The 2020 ANES poll, considered by many to be the gold standard in public opinion polling, found that only 50% of young liberals said speaking English was “very” or “quite” important. However, 91% of young conservatives and 75% of older liberals said it was important to speak English. The figure is 65% among conservatives and 97% among those over 65. This distinction is especially telling given that the Pew survey finds that in virtually all countries, having a common language is considered the most important indicator of national belonging.

Generation Z is characterized by a tenuous national identity. Young Democrats express high levels of national pride, with a percentage saying they are “very proud to be American,” according to General Social Survey and Gallup polls. In 2004 he gave this answer by 53%. Similarly, when liberal Millennials were under 30, they were much less likely than today’s Gen Z liberals to say other countries are better than the United States (27% vs. 61%). %).

Liberal Zoomers’ dissatisfaction with the country may be temporary. Perhaps, just as the boomer generation has come to terms with the bitterness of the Vietnam era, over time they will become even more attached to their nation. Commentators say Gen Z’s grievances spent their formative years in 2020 during a period defined by political polarization, economic uncertainty, COVID-19, and the Black Lives Matter protests. It is suggested that this is due to this. If these experiences fade from memory, Gen Z may forget their thoughts as they age. Alienation.

Nevertheless, globalization and multiculturalism continue to erode the prioritization of common national identity and citizenship values. The zeitgeist that dominates academic, media, and multinational corporate elites denigrates rather than celebrates America’s history and current social progress. Young liberals, in particular, show only shallow devotion to their country, and their loyalties are unlikely to change significantly at age 30. Furthermore, liberals are more likely than conservatives to be college-educated among Gen Z members, adding to class disparities that fuel conflicts over American values.

In times of crisis, a home divided along tribal and class lines cannot endure. Rallying around the flag ultimately depends on the widespread belief that the flag, as a national symbol, is worth fighting for. Unless the next generation develops a sense of solidarity across political lines, perhaps through national service and improved civic education, the story will no longer be “One America” ​​but “No America.”

Kevin Wallsten is a professor of political science at California State University, Long Beach and author of Politics of the Pill (Oxford University Press). Jack Citrin is professor emeritus of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of American Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism (Cambridge University Press) and Immigrants in the Court of Public Opinion (Politics).