People aged 13-20 (members of the so-called “Generation Z”, in marketing-speak) are said to be more open-minded and permissive when it comes to issues of gender and sexuality than their older Millennial counterparts (or people aged 21-34).
At least this holds true in the US, where J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group reported that only 48 percent of Gen Zs identify as exclusively heterosexual, compared to 65 percent of Millennials aged 21 to 34.
Reporting on the the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group, Vice media title Broadly noted:
On a scale of zero to six, where zero signified “completely straight” and six meant “completely homosexual,” more than a third of the young demographic chose a number between one and five, indicating that they were bisexual to some degree. Only 24 percent of their older counterparts identified this way.
Fifty-six percent of 13-to-20-year-olds said that they knew someone who went by gender neutral pronouns such as “they,” “them,” or “ze,” compared to 43 percent of people aged 28 to 34 years old. Over a third of Gen Z respondents also strongly agreed that gender did not define a person as much as it used to. This figure dropped to 23 percent among millennials who were 28 and up.
Those belonging to Generation Z also rejected the gender binary while shopping—only 44 percent said they always bought clothes designed for their own gender, versus 54 percent of millennials. But they also felt strongly that public spaces should provide access to gender neutral bathrooms, with 70 percent of Gen Zs coming out in support of the move compared to 57 percent of 21–34-year-olds.
Hail the young ones when it comes to open-mindedness, indeed!
