Generation Z has a bad case of the “yips”, according to a new label being applied to a swathe of 13- to 24-year-olds.
Close to half of those surveyed from that age range, branded young illiberal progressives (yips), think some people deserve to be “cancelled”, compared with a third of over-25s, and more than a quarter say they have “very little tolerance for people with beliefs I disagree with”, new research by Channel 4 shows.
Yet at the same time, the study found they are significantly more progressive than older generations on issues such as gender and multiculturalism.
Generation Z, about 7 million strong, is the youngest generation charted in detail by researchers, with the so-called Generation Alpha mostly still at primary school. Their experience has been shaped in recent years by school and university being thrown into disarray by Covid and by the rise of social media, which has been ubiquitous since their adolescence or earlier.
Attempts to understand them are gathering pace as they head into adulthood and become more powerful consumers and start to vote. Separate research earlier this year found 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds agree that having a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament or elections is a good way to run the country, more than double the number in 2017.
The paradox between tolerance and the urge to “cancel” may be “mystifying”, said Alex Mahon, the chief executive of Channel 4, as she unveiled the broadcaster’s analysis of “the most misjudged group of people in our recent history”. But, she said, it was likely to be “a completely rational response to the online world we have”.
“Young people could be said to be less liberal because they are less tolerant of the views of others than their parents and grandparents – surely a novelty,” she said.
When asked about the findings, Holly Valler, 18, told the Guardian: “Cancel culture has become something where you use it for everything. We just cancel people for the sake of wanting [to set] a trend going and to have some drama.”
“I am seeing people cancelled for things they did when they were 15 years old,” said Ruben Otakoya, 19. “It’s out of order.”
Georgia, 22, added: “People my age have been subconsciously pushed into a box where they think that the only way to share their opinion is by convincing other people that their opinion is the only correct way … They are confident … because now you can Google something and have facts that back up your opinion … I don’t necessarily blame our generation for being illiberal. I almost blame the environment that we’re in that has caused us to be so confirmed in our thoughts.”
The study of more than 1,500 people also revealed a generational gulf between how stressed Gen Z is about social media and the risks perceived by older people. It found Instagram, TikTok and other channels were not even in the top five stated sources of stress. Those were concerns held by generations for centuries: the cost of living, a lack of affordable housing, uncertainty about the future, pressure to be successful and worries about their appearance.
Well over half (58%) think older generations worry too much and exaggerate the effects of social media. Just over a third of Gen Z view social media as a source of stress, while more than half say the positives outweigh the negatives. A fifth have paused social media use to protect their mental health and one in nine have given it up permanently.
In a sign of continuing evolving norms, Amelia Sumner, 24, told the Guardian she was now worried about a young family member posting sexually suggestive videos to TikTok and Otakoya said he was concerned to see a young family member posting a twerking film.
The study also found high levels of “little picture” hope, with 60% optimistic about their futures and a similar number feeling empowered to influence that future, while only a third were optimistic about the future of the world.
Prof Bobby Duffy, the director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, questioned whether Gen Z would remain illiberal as it aged. “You do have greater certainty that your worldview is correct [when young],” he said. “And then it gets more complex and nuanced as you get older. So there’s likely to be a lifecycle element to that.”
He added: “It is a different environment that young people are living in, where the type of responses that you can get given through social media to sharing people’s views, and then the reactions to that … just provides a very different context.
“Whether this is a truly illiberal generation I think is unclear, but it is worth watching.”
