Gen Z is very family-oriented. Now, before you rub your eyes in disbelief, know something. Vice Media Group recently did a survey and found something mind-blowing: 73% of Gen Zers support parenthood, believing that “becoming a parent enhances who you already are as a person!” Let’s examine exactly how Gen Z supports family values in more detail.
Gen Z Lives For The Family!
Hey, wait, isn’t this the generation that’s supposedly saying “no” to marriage and parenthood on a large-scale basis? So, how can Gen Zers live for the family? Let’s find evidence for that in recent demographic trends in America. The birth rate has been on the decline for more than a few years now–well below replacement rate–and steadily dropping, especially since the pandemic.
Also, more and more people are having kids before getting married, period. So, on the surface, these developments seem to contradict the finding that “Gen Z lives for the family!” While the breakup of the family–the sexual revolution of the 1960s played a huge role in that–and the decline of religion in American personal life have something to do with this, there is a silver lining.
Demographers analyzed births in the decade from 2010 and 2020 and found something that surprised them. Out-of-wedlock births had actually plateaued for the first time in modern American history (since the 1930s!) What’s even more astounding is that demographers expect the number of kids born out of wedlock to decrease this decade!
They know the culprits behind this–Gen Zers embracing marriage and the family!
Religion Matters As Well
Gen Zers are much more religious than their Baby Boomer and even Gen X parents. Thank the pandemic for that. Many young people found returning to life as they knew it pre-pandemic was very difficult, if not impossible, once the pandemic started to recede, thanks to many people getting COVID-19 vaccines. Many young people were staying home to stay safe, and the isolation caused mental issues to peak.
All of those lonely feelings, and all of those feelings of despair motivated many Gen Zers to turn to religion–in this case, Christianity, since America still is a Christian majority nation. Pre-pandemic America saw religion begin to wane rapidly and on a large-scale basis as more and more young people turned to atheism, but the pandemic began to turn all of that around.
Many demographers think that America may be facing the same religious fervor that gripped Europe during the Middle Ages, though it may still be too early to confirm that.
A Revival in Family Values May Just Be What America Needs
Many people feel that America is on the decline, and a revival in family values among American youth may just be what does the trick in halting, or even reversing, that decline.
