Generation Z is increasingly fed up with the political status quo and growing wary of artificial intelligence, according to two new reports that paint a portrait of a cohort navigating deep volatility and rapid technological change.
A study from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University found that 62 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 believe the structure of the U.S. government needs significant changes, regardless of which party holds power. The survey of 4,500 participants, conducted by YouGov, also showed that 58 percent of young people think their own party must undergo dramatic transformation.
The findings underscore how Gen Z, many of whom came of age during the Trump presidency, the pandemic, and a series of economic shocks, lacks the stable political reference points that anchored older generations. The report notes that earlier cohorts had touchstones like the Reagan and Obama presidencies, while Gen Z has experienced only volatility and gridlock.
Yet the data also reveals a paradox: despite their desire for change, Gen Z is less likely than older Americans to demonize the opposition. Only 39 percent of Gen Z respondents described the other party as “evil” or “less than human,” compared with 44 percent of millennials and 61 percent of baby boomers. However, 40 percent of Gen Z said political violence is justified to some degree, a figure far higher than the 30 percent of millennials and 11 percent of boomers who said the same. The report’s authors warned that “volatile national leadership has arguably eroded perceptions of legitimacy amongst an impressionable demographic.”
Separately, a Gallup-Walton report released in April found that Gen Z’s relationship with artificial intelligence is souring. Only 18 percent of respondents aged 14 to 29 said AI makes them feel hopeful, down from 27 percent in 2025. Anger over the technology jumped from 22 percent to 31 percent in the same period, while excitement dropped 14 points. The survey of 1,572 participants had a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.
Young workers and students appear especially anxious about AI’s impact on their careers. Nearly half — 48 percent — said the risks of AI in the workplace outweigh the benefits, while just 15 percent disagreed. Usage has remained flat since 2025, with about half of Gen Z using AI at least weekly, even as workplace access to AI tools has surged 50 percent. Gallup-Walton noted that “meaningful adoption among younger people remains uneven and is not growing on its own.”
Some young people are responding by pursuing careers they believe are less vulnerable to automation. A recent New York Times article highlighted trade schools as a path to AI-proof jobs. “A lot of people are scared of their jobs getting taken away by a robot and by artificial intelligence,” Logan Bangert, an 18-year-old wind turbine repair technician, told the paper. “I don’t share those fears.”
In other political news, California Governor Gavin Newsom tapped podcaster and marketing professor Scott Galloway for a seat on the University of California Board of Regents. Galloway, who teaches at NYU Stern and hosts several tech and political podcasts under the Vox Media Podcast Network, is an MBA graduate of UC Berkeley. The 26-member board oversees 300,000 students across 10 UC campuses. Newsom, known for his combative social media style toward the Trump administration, continues to blend media savvy with political appointments.
