The Gen Z population in the U.S. feels fairly positive about the country’s economy despite challenges, yet remains sharply divided on social issues and strongly disapproves of President Donald Trump’s handling of inflation, according to a new survey.
As per the NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey, about 30% of Americans under 30 say their financial situation has worsened in the past year, while 27% say it’s improved. Though that improvement number may seem small, Gen Z members were more likely than older generations to report better finances in the last year.
For comparison, only 18% of adults over 65 say their financial situation has improved over the last year. In last year’s poll, many Gen Z registered voters said their finances had gotten worse compared to the year before, NBC News reported.
This shift may reflect frustration with the Biden administration and the impact of inflation at the time. Gen Z now makes up a growing part of the U.S. voting population, and in the 2024 election, they were more evenly split than usual.
Gen Z Divided On Trump Support
The 2024 election saw a shift in support toward Trump, with more under-30 voters backing him compared to 2020. Young male voters were almost equally split between the two candidates.
The latest poll also indicates that Gen Z men and women perceive the economy differently. While most Gen Z respondents reported their financial situation remained unchanged, a third of young men said their finances had improved. In contrast, only 20% of young women felt their financial situation had gotten better.
Most adults from all age groups said that inflation and the rising cost of living are the biggest economic concerns for themselves and their families right now. Gen Z feels strongly about how the Trump administration‘s policies could affect their finances.
Gen Z Strongly Disapproves Of Trump’s Inflation Policies And Immigration Approach
While disapproval of President Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living is widespread across generations, 70% of Gen Z disapproves, 14 percentage points higher than the disapproval rate among the oldest adults surveyed.
Gen Z adults also mostly oppose Trump’s strict immigration policies affecting college campuses, though opinions vary by political party.
A large majority (92%) of Gen Z believe people with student visas, work visas, or green cards should have due process rights when facing legal charges. This view is shared by most groups, including Republicans and MAGA supporters.
Gen Z Largely Supports DEI Efforts But Divided On Visa Revocations
About 25% of young adults support revoking visas if the government sees a person’s presence as harmful to foreign policy, a practice used by the Trump administration against some student protesters.
The poll also shows Gen Z holds more liberal views than older generations on social issues. For example, 74% support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, with 85% of women and 63% of men in Gen Z seeing these efforts as helpful.
