Work and finances worry gen Z more than culture wars - poll

Young people are more worried about their finances, work pressures and job insecurity than social media, the climate crisis and culture war debates, research shows.

- Libby Brooks

The polling also challenges the characterisation of generational conflict, revealing that differences within generation Z, whether round class, education or gender, are often more pronounced than the differences between generations.

The research, from extensive polling of 16- to 29-year-olds for the UK Youth Poll 2025, published by the University of Glasgow's John Smith Centre, also found many across the UK still believe in democracy but are worried about its future. There have been widespread claims that young people favour authoritarian rule, but democracy was backed over a dictatorship by 57% to 27%. However, young people agree that "democracy in the UK is in trouble" by 63% to 24%.

Nor are gen Z passive consumers of politics; three-quarters say they have taken part in some kind of political activity in the past 12 months.