- Less than 50 percent of American teenagers identify as straight, according to a new report
- Today’s 13 to 20 year-olds comprise a new “Generation Z” that are different from “millennials”
- They are found to be more open-minded about gender compared to older generations
A new study published in the United States revealed that less than half of teenagers, who comprise the so-called emerging “Generation Z”, identify as straight; thereby indicating that they are more open-minded and permissive of the various gender and sexuality compared to other generations, including the older “millennials.”
The survey by the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group, which specializes in forecasting trends and consumer insight, showed that only 48 percent of young Americans aged 13 to 20 years old consider themselves as exclusively heterosexual. They were once considered as “younger millennials” but have since been tentatively called “Gen Z” in marketing circles; indicating a new generation set altogether.
In contrast, about 65 percent of the more popularly documented “older millennials” aged 21 to 34 years old consider themselves as completely straight.
The study provided some insightful results. For one, when asked to identify themselves on a scale that ranged from “completely homosexual” to “completely heterosexual,” more than one-third of the Gen Z’s indicated that they were bisexual to a certain degree compared to only 24 percent of the older millennials.
In addition, almost 6 in every 10 Gen Z’s knew someone who preferred to use gender-neutral pronouns such as “they,” “them,” or “ze.” On the other hand, only 43 percent of 28 to 34 year-olds reported the same.
The younger generation was also found to be more open to breaking gender norms, with more of this particular demographic buying clothes that may not necessarily have been designed for their own gender. In addition, an overwhelming majority of Generation Z supported the idea of gender-neutral bathrooms in public spaces.
Around 81 percent of the teenagers surveyed said that gender shouldn’t define an individual while only 28 percent of older millennials said the same.
The groundbreaking report opens the door to possible future studies on the newest generation that is coming of age; in a world where everyone is more interconnected with a better understanding on gender identity and sexuality.
“That was an intriguing statistic that got a lot of attention in the media, but we weren’t sure quite what it meant: Were they just saying, for example, that men or women could pursue any career they wanted to? Or did this reflect the more radical idea that gender itself isn’t as important to personal identity as it used to be, or that gender shouldn’t be seen as a binary? This new research shows that the latter idea is gaining significant traction among Gen Zers,” explained J. Walter Thompson director of trendspotting, Shepherd Laughlin.
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