Adults love to claim Gen-Z is “lost,” but maybe the only thing they have really lost is the desire to chase someone else’s North Star.
Gen-Z is currently facing the claim that they are less morally motivated. This is a struggle that any other generation faces when trying to find its way into fitting in with what has come before them. Usually, what critics mean is that they are less religious.
Rather than a shift in the total loss of morals and beliefs, I have found that the change we are seeing is more in what people believe, not that they are believing less. What people care about now depends on what they have been through and where they come from. Meaning that because everyone has their own experiences, particular things matter to different people. This shows up in what they believe, as well.
According to the Survey Center on American Life, 34% of Gen-Z do not follow any religion. This is a little more than older generations, about 5% higher than millennials. Seeing as the gap is fairly small, it shows that as time passes, fewer people believe in religion, a trend I predict will continue. Gen-Z is starting to find their own beliefs and values, even if they are not part of a religion.
Instead of following divine texts, more of Gen-Z are prioritizing values that are important to them. For example, a study by ACU (the Arizona Christian University) only 21% of Gen-Z say that the Bible is what guides their ideas about right and wrong. While religion definitely still matters to some Gen-Z kids, it is not what many of them turn to for guidance anymore. Instead, many young people now feel better about making choices by thinking things through, asking questions and trying to understand why something makes sense.
Religion can be a great way for people to learn about life and choices. It is important to note that some do find comfort and guidance in this. However, not belonging to a religion does not equate to having no values. People can learn kindness, honesty and respect from their families, their experiences and the world around them.
Furthermore, some of these main values are revealed in a study conducted by the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA). Safety, kindness and self-acceptance were the leading principles of the surveyed age group of 10-24-year-olds. This shows that even without following a religion, the youth still care about important morals and want to do the right thing for themselves and others.
People often say that drinking, smoking and using drugs are just “normal” teenage activities, but most teenagers actually do not participate in them. A 2024 survey found that only about 6 out of 100 kids had used an e-cigarette in the past month. This demonstrates that Gen-Z is making good choices from what they know is right; otherwise, this number would be much higher.
I believe the issue surrounding the loss of moral guidance in the youth is a matter of conscious and subconscious choices. A conscious choice is deciding to participate in things they know are not good for them in an effort to look “cool.” On the other hand, others make subconscious choices; decisions that they cannot really control, but unfortunately fall into.
Some of these problems come from things like addiction or feelings that are hard to deal with, including trauma and struggles with mental health. But it is best to think of them like dominoes; each domino is a problem that families pass down from one generation to the next. Yet, for Gen-Z, mental health is really important, so these kinds of issues affect them more strongly, and they pay more attention to them. These affect the minority that struggles to have a moral compass at all.
We should not judge all young people based on old ideas. Everyone needs to have something that guides them, like a “North Star,” to help them make good choices. Gen-Z has not lost this guide, they have just found it in new ways, like taking care of themselves, setting goals and focusing on what matters to them.
