It’s the most diverse generation in American history. Its members possess untraditional views about identity, are creative and tech savvy, and are also passionate activists who are mindful about the environment and aren’t afraid to call out injustice when they see it.
Experts say Generation Z is poised to change society in enormously positive ways. So who makes up this increasingly influential segment of the U.S. population? According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z includes kids, teens, and young adults who were born between 1997 and 2012, and they make up about 20 percent of the U.S. population, a whopping 67 million people.
Gen Z’ers—as they’re often called—have been strongly influenced by growing up during a politically divisive era in U.S. history, not to mention a pandemic, experts say. They’re aware of global problems, such as racism and climate change. And they’re determined to be part of the solution.
“What’s so interesting about Gen Z is it’s not that they’re going to change the world—they are already changing the world,” says Corey Seemiller, an expert on youth culture and a leadership professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Today’s young people are “doing unbelievably remarkable things, not for fame or fortune, but because they see something that doesn’t feel right, and they want to make it better.”