A new poll reveals members of Gen Z do not view starting a family as a key to success and are instead prioritizing careers and financial independence. The NBC News survey found male Trump voters in that generation are the only ones who view getting married and having children as their top measure of success, while nearly everyone else puts it near the bottom.
Gen Z spans from 1997 to 2012, so they are between 13 and 28 years old. This poll focused on adults 18 to 29.
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Personal definition of success
Those polled were asked what they view as important to their personal definition of success. They were each allowed to choose three of 13 measures, ranging from financial achievements, such as owning a home and having no debt, to family milestones, including getting married and having children.
The results revealed that when political beliefs are put aside, male and female Gen Z adults have very similar views of success. In fact, both sexes made the same top three choices:
1) Having a job or career you find fulfilling.
2) Having enough money to do the things you want.
3) Achieving financial independence.
They also agreed on the two least important measures:
12) Being able to retire early.
13) Fame and influence.
The biggest gap is their desire for emotional stability — women ranked it at No. 4, while men ranked it 10th.
The male Trump and female Harris voter divide
Men who voted for Trump and women who voted for Harris have, in some ways, inverse views of success — particularly when it comes to marriage and children.
For instance, 34% of male Trump voters said having children was an important measure of success, but only 6% of female Harris voters said the same. Twenty-nine percent of males said being married is a marker of success, compared to 6% of females
The other significant difference was in their views on emotional stability — 39% of women said it was important, compared to just 9% of men.
Overall, the top three priorities for females who voted for Harris are:
1) Having a job or career you find fulfilling.
2) Having enough money to do the things you want to do.
3) Having emotional stability.
The top three measures of success for males who voted for Trump are:
1) Having children.
2) Financial independence.
3) A fulfilling job/career.
The male Trump voters were outliers in their views on family and children. Even female Trump voters ranked having children and being married sixth and ninth, respectively.
While it’s higher than that of men and women who voted for Harris, their overall answers were more aligned with Harris voters than men who voted for Trump.
