The Kids are Not Alright: Gen Z most anxious about future, spurns marriage and kids

A recent NBC poll revealed that, regardless of gender or political preference, young Americans have deprioritized both marriage and having children.

Key Takeaways:

• In Live Action News' first article of this series, we examined the impact of divorce on generations of children.

• After the trauma and a childhood filled with anti-marriage and anti-child propaganda, these children have become adults that deprioritize both marriage and having children.

• Rather than treating marriage and parenthood as great milestones to be reached, they were turned into items on a mental “checklist” to be achieved only in a specific order, with financial stability put at the top.

• A recent NBC poll documented this shift in priorities, regardless of gender or political affiliation.

The Details:

A Decision Desk poll from NBC examined the latest group of young adults, Gen Z, and where they stand on various issues, along with their attitudes towards the world today. One section in particular looked at the Gen Z mindset towards a successful life, with 13 different choices offered.

Those respondents in the age group of 18-29 were asked, "Which of the following is important to your personal definition of success?" Each respondent was able to choose three options, and regardless of gender or political affiliation, three things came out on top:

• "Having a career or job you find fulfilling"

• "Having enough money to do the things you want to do"

• Achieving financial independence"

There were some variations after these top three, but regardless, all respondents left marriage and children far down the list.

Regardless of the gender or political preference, there are issues to be found.

More liberal Gen Zers ranked marriage and parenthood near the bottom of the list; conservative respondents ranked both higher, but female conservatives still ranked both marriage and children below financial independence, career, and general wealth.

While conservative men ranked having children as their number one priority, that in and of itself was still problematic, as marriage was ranked as a lower priority than having children, as well as below finances and career.

Fear Factor

Though it is unclear exactly why Gen Z ranked career and financial freedom/independence at the top of the list, one factor seems to be playing a role: anxiety about the future.

"Members of Gen Z are more anxious overall than members of other generations, with about a quarter responding that they 'feel anxious or worried about the future' almost all of the time," noted NBC. "This high level of anxiety about the future is largely driven by young women. One-third of young women said they feel anxious 'almost all of the time,' and an additional third reported being anxious 'most of the time.'"

Why It Matters:

This poll is indicative of a mindset that has been pervasive for decades, and is playing out in devastating fashion, in real time.

Marriage rates have been steadily falling, and though the majority of adults say they want to get married, the same cannot be said of those who want to have children. Growing numbers of childless adults say they don’t plan to ever have children, whether they are married or not.

The NBC News poll is not the first to find that younger generations have devalued marriage and children; other polling has likewise shown that adults prioritize job satisfaction and friendships over marriage and children. Unsurprisingly, this has contributed to a record low birth rate among Americans.

This is particularly disturbing, because marriage has been shown to be a key aspect to a fulfilling life and is associated with...

• better mental health

• greater financial stability

• overall happiness

But as noted in this article, divorce has a detrimental effect on the mental health of children — and it's had an impact on Gen Z, without question. Children whose parents divorce are more likely to...

• struggle in school

• experience drug and alcohol abuse

• engage in risky sexual behavior

• struggle with depression and mood disorders

• live in poverty

Children of divorce are also more likely to get divorced as adults — particularly women.

This affects children who grow up in these homes; according to recent data, single-parent families are significantly more likely to live below the poverty line, compared to a very small number of mar­ried-cou­­ple fam­i­lies. Though many single parents work hard to give their children the best lives possible, children of single parents fare worse in virtually very metric — from academic achievement, to teen pregnancy, to being at greater risk of abuse and neglect.

If Gen Z has experienced a great deal of instability due to divorce, this could explain some of the anxiety so many are feeling about their futures.

Mar­riage has also gradually come to be seen as something only the wealthy and privileged do, as people with high­er incomes and edu­ca­tion lev­els (and therefore, greater perceived stability) are the ones more like­ly to mar­ry.

The Bottom Line:

Propaganda from groups like Planned Parenthood and others who profit from the mentality of the sexual revolution has led to a mindset that divorces sex from both procreation and marriage — and the consequences have been catastrophic.

Despite having older generations to learn from, Gen Z appears poised to repeat the same mistakes — leaving many to wonder: Is it possible to change the path they are on before it's too late?

Go Deeper:

Read other articles in this series below.

• The Kids Are Not Alright: Has divorce trauma led generations to deprioritize marriage and family?

• The Kids are Not Alright: How a warped worldview has led couples to spurn parenthood