GENERATION Z
The first global generation?
GENERATION Z
More myriad than monolith
GENERATION Z
More myriad than monolith
GENERATION Z
More myriad than monolith
1. Who they are
Gen Z is not a monolith
Over the course of the past 12 months, Ipsos public opinion polling has revealed a significant gap in attitudes between Gen Z men and Gen Z women. More so than in any other generation polled, men and women in Gen Z are not seeing eye to eye.
A significant portion of young men are becoming more conservative and leaning towards more traditional values. At the same time, young women are often becoming more progressive and liberal than their male peers. The growing ideological divide between Gen Z men and women highlights a larger societal shift in attitudes towards gender roles and expectations.
While it's still not entirely clear what's driving the gap, it is clear that Gen Z is not a monolith. Simplifying this generation into one group sharing similar attitudes and values risks missing out on a world of detail. More than any other generation, caution needs to be applied when making generalisations about Gen Z as a whole.
While there is some variation between different countries, the diverging of Gen Z men and women is happening across the world.
This is a pattern we see across G7 countries, alongside emerging markets:
More than any other generation, caution needs to be applied when making generalisations about Gen Z as a whole."
Where we see the gender gap and where we don't
Where we’re seeing differences
- Gender equality, feminism, traditional gender roles
- Trans rights
- Abortion
- State intervention / government regulation
- Views on which societal groups are unfairly treated
- Support for right-wing political parties
It’s complicated / we need more data
- Climate change
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights
- Support for populism
- Views on immigration
No real differences noted
- Trust in scientists
- Attitudes towards politicians
- Perceptions of elites
- Optimism for the future
- Views on education
2. What they do
Beyond states of mind
2024 was the year of elections. It was also a stark exemplifier of the real-world consequences of the split in attitudes among Gen Z. In many countries across the world, we saw the gender gap mirrored in voting behaviours, with young men playing a key role in the rise of populist parties.
This was particularly notable in the February 2025 German federal election, with around a quarter of 18-24 year old men voting for far-right party, AfD. Meanwhile, in the 2024 UK general election, 12.9% of young men voted for Reform UK, compared to 5.9% of women.
3. Where to meet them
A fragmented media landscape
Gone are the days of a unified media experience. The landscape is now fragmented. While Millennials came of age with a handful of TV channels and non-algorithmic websites, Gen Z navigates a world of hyper-personalised feeds, niche online communities, and algorithmic bubbles. This means two people, even with similar interests, can have radically different online experiences.
This fragmentation is amplified when we look at gender. As our case study below demonstrates, Gen Z men and women often occupy distinct online spaces and engage with digital content in vastly different ways.
CASE STUDY
Social media use in the UK
In the UK, Ipsos iris data reveals that 98% of the online population used social media in January 2025, spending almost half (47%) of their online time on social media, equivalent to 2 hours and 15 minutes a dayi.
The trend is even more pronounced among the youngest of the internet population; among 15-24 year olds, 64% of time online is spent on social media, averaging 3 hours and 58 minutes a day.
This pattern is mirrored at a global level. Across 30 countries, people report spending an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes on social media sites. But this rises to 2 hours and 22 minutes, on average, among Gen Zii.
While some social media platforms reach a mass audience (YouTube and Facebook each reach 90% of UK internet users), not everyone online is online in the same place.
This becomes more apparent when we explore these platforms by time spent. For instance, platforms like X, Reddit, LinkedIn, and YouTube tend to attract more male users, while Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are more popular among females.
For young people, the fragmentation of today’s media landscape is not simply a result of hyper-personalised algorithms – curating their feeds and surfacing different content – but also a result of where they’re engaging with content in the first place. Two individuals can exist in vastly different online realities, consuming contrasting information, shaping contrasting worldviews. All this is underscored by the fact that they’re typically on social media for four hours a day. This has profound implications for how we understand and engage with Gen Z.
Key takeaways
Gen Z is not a monolith, particularly when it comes to gender
Gen Z women are trending towards more progressive and liberal views, while Gen Z men are leaning towards more conservative and traditional values. This difference is significant, occurring internationally and is impacting Gen Z's attitudes on various issues, including gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice.
The gender divide within Gen Z has real-world consequences
The 2024 elections are a prime example, where young men played a key role in the rise of populist parties, reflecting their more conservative leanings. This divide also manifests in areas like education and employment.
The fragmented media landscape, amplified by algorithms, further exacerbates this divide
Gen Z men and women often occupy different online spaces, consuming different content and shaping different worldviews. This segregation is particularly worrying considering how people get their news and form opinions.
For more analysis on Generation Z, or to discuss these findings further, please contact IKC@ipsos.com
Footnotes
[i]: Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service, January 2025. All aged 15+ using PC/laptop, smartphone or tablet device(s).
[ii]: Ipsos Global Advisor – November 2024
