Stat: Work and financial pressures eclipse culture wars for Gen Z

UK – A new youth poll by the John Smith Centre at Glasgow University reveals that UK Gen Z’s top concerns are economic, not ideological. In a survey of 16–29-year-olds, 37% cited financial stress as their primary source of anxiety, followed by work pressures (23%) and job insecurity (20%). Issues often assumed to define youth sentiment – such as social media (14%) and climate change (10%) – ranked considerably lower.

The findings also reveal divides based on gender, education and class. While 70% of young people in full-time work felt optimistic about the future, only 44% of those unemployed shared that sentiment.

Despite concerns about democratic decline, 57% still preferred democracy over dictatorship. Notably, 75% reported participating in political activity in the past year.

The report positions Gen Z as politically active but pragmatically focused – more worried about weekly survival than ideological battles. This aligns with research from our Gen Z Now and Next: 2024–2025 report, which explored younger consumers’ financial anxieties and worrying gender divergence.