Gen Z’s Moral Values Are Shifting From Previous Generations, Research Finds
New research from the Survey Center on American Life reveals that Gen Z approaches morality and ethics through a fundamentally different lens than older generations. Daniel A. Cox, director of the center at the American Enterprise Institute, found that 47 percent of Gen Z Americans judge ethical decisions primarily through personal perspective rather than as social contracts or community obligations. The shift extends across education, religion, family life, and relationships, Cox told Vox, with young people prioritizing individual needs over broader social considerations.
Young People Today Believe They’re Special, Not Average
The research asked Americans whether their parents viewed them as average growing up. Most older Americans said yes, their parents considered them average. Gen Z rejected this entirely. The youngest generation is far more likely to believe they’re above average or special, Cox found. He attributes this to parents investing more resources in smaller families, giving children significantly more attention. “It’s not as if this generation came out of the womb more narcissistic,” Cox told Vox, but rather they’re raised in homes prioritizing individual needs over family unity.
Self-Improvement Takes Priority Over Community Needs
Gen Z’s belief in their own exceptionalism creates an imperative for constant self-improvement, according to Cox. Young people focus intensely on healthy eating, working out, and personal development, particularly in the dating context. However, Cox notes that none of these self-improvement trends emphasize building robust social networks, helping friends, or serving the community. “Those things are actually really important for well-being,” he explained to Vox. The shift means institutions and relationships exist only to help individuals meet personal goals rather than serving broader purposes.
Going “No Contact” Means Ending Relationships That Don’t Serve Immediate Needs
Cultural trends like going “no contact” with friends, parents, siblings, or partners illustrate Gen Z’s individualistic orientation, Cox said. The concept involves cutting off “toxic” people entirely. “The idea is that if these relationships are not serving your immediate needs well, the correct approach is to end them, instead of seeing that there is value in messy relationships and tending to them,” Cox told Vox. This contrasts with viewing relationships as worth maintaining and working through difficulties.
Young Women Prioritize Self-Expression Over Social Comfort
The survey found that young women are most likely to say people should feel free to express themselves even if it makes others uncomfortable. “Again, it’s this idea that my individual needs trump any kind of social consequence,” Cox explained to Vox. The research also revealed divides within Gen Z itself: Young women hold more permissive views on behaviors like drinking and casual sex compared to young men, complicating assumptions about the generation having uniform values. Gender differences within the cohort prove as significant as generational ones.
Young Men View Drinking as Morally Wrong More Than Seniors Do
The decline in Gen Z drinking has a moral dimension that researchers had not fully recognized. The survey found 27 percent of young men ages 18 to 29 view drinking alcohol as morally wrong, compared to just 14 percent of seniors 65 and older. Cox ties this to health-conscious lifestyles and distrust of businesses selling harmful products. However, he also notes that alcohol historically served as a social lubricant, and Gen Z socializes less and differently than previous generations, potentially viewing drinking as an individual rather than a communal activity.
Reddit Forums Replace Institutions as Moral Guides
With institutions playing a smaller role in defining acceptable behavior, young people negotiate morality online. Cox points to Reddit’s “Am I the Asshole?” subreddit as an example of Gen Z essentially crowdsourcing moral judgments. Young people focus on cultural curation, wanting to shape their own experiences and ways of being, he said. While millennials showed growing openness to different sexual identities and behaviors, Gen Z now wrestles with where to draw lines. The tension is clear: complete personal freedom conflicts with recognizing real downsides, Cox told Vox.
Prayer Becomes a Personal Activity, Not a Communal One
Claims about rising religiosity among Gen Z miss a crucial distinction, Cox argues. Young people may use prayer apps or meditation tools, but these activities are fundamentally individual, not communal. The survey asked people who pray whether they pray for themselves or others. Only 46 percent of young women who prayed reported praying for someone else, compared to 72 percent of senior women. “You’re not the most important person there,” Cox said of traditional religious settings, an outward-focused experience Gen Z often lacks.
Individualism Drives Political Distrust and Populism
Cox identifies the rise of individualism and decline in institutional trust as the engines of populism among young people. This explains why many people want to identify as independents and distrust political parties. Young men are most likely to hold unfavorable opinions of both political parties, the survey found. “It really becomes difficult to govern when people are so mistrusting,” Cox told Vox. Political coalitions become hard to assemble, and parties struggle to maintain power once attained because young voters remain perpetually dissatisfied.
Institutions Struggle When People Think They’re the Most Important
Cox’s research suggests Gen Z’s individualism poses challenges for every type of institution. “Whether you’re talking about educational institutions, political institutions, or religious institutions,” he told Vox, “we need people to come into these places and not think that they’re the most important person in the room.” The findings reveal a generation raised to prioritize personal achievement and flexibility over collective needs. While economic anxiety and technology receive blame for Gen Z’s behaviors, Cox argues the deeper issue is pronounced risk aversion and fundamentally different moral frameworks.