Gen Z’s Political Coming of Age During Quarantine in the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research paper explores how quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with Generation Z’s development of political worldviews. Taking inspiration from previous studies on generational politics, this paper discusses the environment in which Generation Z has experienced political socialization. The researcher distributed an online survey to members of Generation Z in Broward County that asked about recipients’ political views, media engagement, civic involvement, and political confidence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey revealed increases in recipients’ political engagement throughout the pandemic and suggested that Generation Z experienced consolidation of their political views during quarantine. The survey also revealed that social media exposure played a major role in Generation Z’s political development during the pandemic. Such results help to understand what a United States with Gen Z voters and legislators would look like in the future, and they underscore the growing influence of social media on social interactions throughout society.