Why is Gen Z Scared to Discuss Politics?

Why are Gen Z, a generation who shares their lives on social media constantly, so afraid of talking about politics? According to a poll of more than 750 Chapman University students, 72% said that they do not post about politics or their political views on social media. A common reason for this may be that students are afraid of alienating themselves based on their views and do not want to be judged, attacked, or ‘canceled.’ How do we combat this and start conversations regarding politics? We spoke with various Chapman University students to find out if they post about politics on social media and whether they think that it is important to bring political conversations into social settings.

“I think people are scared to post about politics, I would say, because it's gotten so divisive, especially on social media. and I just don't think people want any controversy, especially with people they're close with in real life. … if it was done more respectfully than maybe some people's minds would change or see the other side, and it would be a much more productive conversation. Because I think the reason people don’t post is because they feel like they're going to get attacked.”

Romi Blackstone

Strategic Corporate Communication / PR

“I think most people don't post about politics because it's kind of a taboo subject, both in person (and online). You know, when you meet someone for the first time, whether it's a friend or if you're on a date, you never talk about politics… I do think that posting about politics is important, because I think people need to be civically engaged and discuss these issues, and I think that when people do discuss these issues online or in person, it just makes it more comfortable for them to talk to anyone about it."

Ryan Kiser

Broadcast Journalism and Documentary / Political Science

“The level of journalistic integrity on social media is not what you find on more traditional news sources. It's harder to vet. It's harder to know what's more factual. And also, at the same time, I think a lot of people are just more apathetic on social media in the sense where they use it as a way to check in on other people and not check in with the world… I personally do not post on social media my political views. I'd say the majority of the people that follow me or interact with me, are in the same kind of demographic that I am. For one, I don't think I have the time to make sure

what I'm posting is probably factual, because

I've seen that a lot where it's inaccurate.”

Alex Footen

Creative Producing / Computer Science

“The resurgence of social media and how dangerous it can be with the misinformation now, it's very easy to be misled when it comes to information. And so I don't like posting my political views just in case it ends up being wrong.”

Hailey Rivera

Film Production

“I think education is important. I think that social media is a valuable avenue for education, if not my primary one. And I would like to surround myself with people that also care about human rights… I think that it's important that everyone is able to express what they think in classes. No censorship, please! And yeah, even if I disagree with people, I like hearing what they think… Social media is like a strange fourth-ish space. So I think definitely bringing it up in person and having actual conversations is incredibly important. And if we could

do that in classrooms, that'd be great.

That's not something a lot of students

have an opportunity to do here at

Chapman.”

Maya Epstein

Film Production / History

“I do not [post about politics], unfortunately. I think mainly just because I have a lot of family that follows me, for the same reason that I don't post my chosen name on social media because there's just some people on there that I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing my opinions with… I don't particularly care about opinions [of myself], with peers, like students that I might run into. It’s more so my family. You know, it makes me anxious. I want to be welcome home at Christmas.”

Kaden DaSilva

Creative Writing

“I feel like it's important that we know what's going on in our world. None of my friends really have brought politics up with this election, which I just kind of found interesting.”

Becca Grae

Liberal Studies and Psychology

“I used to [post about politics] a lot, but I feel like I've kind of stopped doing that because I feel like sometimes when you post stuff, maybe you aren't really looking at the policies as much as you should or know the context… I think politics should be a bit more involved in our education, because I think education is what informs our politics. The whole idea is that you get educated to be a more informed citizen, and that leads to voting in certain ways or being educated about your vote.”

Ashley Agatep

Environmental Science

“My suspicion is that a lot of students are afraid of alienating potential friends or peers. We live in a time when the country is (obviously) very polarized politically. My suspicion is that when students are sitting in a classroom (or a dorm lounge) with a group of semi-strangers, they often avoid making strong statements about politics for fear that they will be judged by others, and also lose out on potential friendships. Maybe they wade into politics once a friendship has been established, but they seem reluctant to discuss politics off the bat, and for understandable reasons… Here are two ideas (for starting political conversations). 

Dr. John Compton

Political Science Professor

First, talk less about parties and candidates and more about issues. You may find that there are some shared policy concerns between left and right (the high price of housing, the high price of education, etc.). By starting with issues instead of parties/candidates, it may be easier to find common ground. Second, and relatedly, you might pay more attention to local politics and less to national politics. I think one big step towards making our politics healthier would be if people tuned out of national politics for a bit and instead spent time thinking about how they can contribute in concrete ways towards bettering their local communities.”

Overall, students agree that having conversations about politics, both online and in person, is something that needs to be normalized and humanized. How do we do that? It seems like the best way to normalize having conversations about politics is to simply just start talking about them!