Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Signs Point To Gen-Z Dramatically Reshaping America
Inside-Sources
By InsideSources.com
Published 3 years ago on
April 20, 2022

Share

 

 

Visions of the United States breaking up into smaller countries belong largely in dystopian fiction, according to most Americans.

State Policy Network’s State Voices poll found that two-thirds of registered voters oppose the idea of splitting the union into several smaller countries, with 54% in strong opposition. Voluntarily disbanding the union is not a cause with a ready-made following.

Erin Norman portrait

Erin Norman

InsideSources.com

Opinion

However, if you look ahead a few decades, the idea may gain traction. The same poll highlighted one group where 51% support the idea of breaking up America into smaller nations of like-minded people. This odd group out is Generation Z — which comprises voters ages 18 to 25 and continues to expand as more of the cohort grows into voting age. This generation, like every other, will get their turn at the helm to pursue ideas and policies once considered foreign and radical to their elders.

And when this generation is solidly in the political driver’s seat, things will look much different than they do today. Generation Z offers a stark contrast to older, more conservative voters. According to Pew Research Center, they are more likely to want government to do more to solve problems, are less likely to believe in American exceptionalism, and have far more progressive views on gender and family.

But this doesn’t mean Generation Z is in lockstep with today’s Democrats. Unlike older liberals who are content to boost spending within existing programs and systems, Generation Z is ready for change that is continuously blocked or ignored at the federal level. Three-quarters want to see regulations changed to allow greater use of telehealth, more than half support school choice programs, and 73% want to see the country completely rethink American education.

A vast departure from business-as-usual combined with a desire to break up the union might make those outside this youngest cohort anxious about the future of America. But instead of the end of the American experiment, the views of the youngest voters may offer an opening to restore it.

Gen-Z  Likes Idea of Breaking US Into Smaller Countries

Americans under 25 are drawn to the idea of several smaller Americas with lines drawn based on political ideology so they can live under more of the types of policy they prefer. Generation Z gravitates toward the idea of breaking up the United States because they have been led to believe the policy governing their lives has to come from Washington, and for most, those one-size-fits-all policies just don’t work.

What this generation doesn’t realize is that America is already designed for smaller communities to govern themselves, if we are able to reduce the influence and control of the federal government in Washington. By original design, the states were meant to craft the policy that governed citizen life, and it was expected to differ from state to state — as did the will of the people.

It was later considered a strength that different states could experiment with unorthodox policies and programs, a feature likely to be of key importance to a generation that wants a radical departure from the status quo. But the heavy-handed federal government makes it nearly impossible for the states to live up to this design.

The underlying principles of federalism — or a system of government where power is shared between national and state governments — have not been well-explained to today’s young adults. If those ideas are communicated, we could see a resurgence of support for a system of government that allows communities of like-minded individuals to govern themselves.

About the Writer

Erin Norman is the Lee Family Fellow and senior messaging strategist at State Policy Network. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Spyware From US-Backed Israeli Firm Targeted European Journalists, Report Finds

DON'T MISS

Israel’s War of Choice With Iran Puts Trump in a Bind

DON'T MISS

Prather’s Oak Fire Active in Fresno County, 46% Contained

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Arrest Man in Dinuba Shooting

DON'T MISS

Fresno Murder Suspect Arrested in Madera County Following Shooting

DON'T MISS

Millions of Americans Like Trump Better in Theory Than in Practice

DON'T MISS

Tucker Carlson Says Trump ‘Complicit’ in Israel’s Attack on Iran

DON'T MISS

Fresno Stabbing Leads to 7-Hour SWAT Standoff and Arrest, Suspect Identified

DON'T MISS

A Look Inside Israel’s ‘Fortress of Zion’ Command Beneath Tel Aviv

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Make DUI Arrest, Cite 135 Drivers in Distracted Driving Crackdown

UP NEXT

Israel’s War of Choice With Iran Puts Trump in a Bind

UP NEXT

Prather’s Oak Fire Active in Fresno County, 46% Contained

UP NEXT

Tulare County Authorities Arrest Man in Dinuba Shooting

UP NEXT

Fresno Murder Suspect Arrested in Madera County Following Shooting

UP NEXT

Millions of Americans Like Trump Better in Theory Than in Practice

UP NEXT

Tucker Carlson Says Trump ‘Complicit’ in Israel’s Attack on Iran

UP NEXT

Fresno Stabbing Leads to 7-Hour SWAT Standoff and Arrest, Suspect Identified

UP NEXT

A Look Inside Israel’s ‘Fortress of Zion’ Command Beneath Tel Aviv

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Make DUI Arrest, Cite 135 Drivers in Distracted Driving Crackdown

UP NEXT

Russia Says US Has Cancelled Next Round of Talks on Easing Tensions

Tulare County Authorities Arrest Man in Dinuba Shooting

40 minutes ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Arrested in Madera County Following Shooting

47 minutes ago

Millions of Americans Like Trump Better in Theory Than in Practice

57 minutes ago

Tucker Carlson Says Trump ‘Complicit’ in Israel’s Attack on Iran

1 hour ago

Fresno Stabbing Leads to 7-Hour SWAT Standoff and Arrest, Suspect Identified

2 hours ago

A Look Inside Israel’s ‘Fortress of Zion’ Command Beneath Tel Aviv

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Make DUI Arrest, Cite 135 Drivers in Distracted Driving Crackdown

2 hours ago

Russia Says US Has Cancelled Next Round of Talks on Easing Tensions

2 hours ago

Protester Killed at Utah ‘No Kings’ Rally Was Fashion Designer From ‘Project Runway’

2 hours ago

Possum the Wanderer Finds Her Groove After Tumor Surgery

3 hours ago

Spyware From US-Backed Israeli Firm Targeted European Journalists, Report Finds

Spyware developed by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli company backed by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and with U.S. government contracts, wa...

8 minutes ago

Spyware from U.S.-backed Israeli firm Paragon Solutions was used to target prominent European journalists’ phones, raising concerns about government surveillance and commercial spyware abuse. (Shutterstock)
8 minutes ago

Spyware From US-Backed Israeli Firm Targeted European Journalists, Report Finds

President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
15 minutes ago

Israel’s War of Choice With Iran Puts Trump in a Bind

The Oak Fire near Morgan Canyon Road and Country Oak Lane in Prather remains active at 46% containment, burning 14 acres with 45 personnel working alongside multiple air tankers to strengthen containment lines. (CalFire)
22 minutes ago

Prather’s Oak Fire Active in Fresno County, 46% Contained

Gilberto Lopez Mendez, 23, was arrested after pistol-whipping and shooting a victim in the leg near Dinuba on , with deputies recovering a converted fully automatic firearm. (Tulare County SO)
40 minutes ago

Tulare County Authorities Arrest Man in Dinuba Shooting

Fresno police have arrested Scott Alvarado, 41, in the shooting death of Nicholas Bolanos, 33, on Friday, June 13, 2025. (Fresno PD)
47 minutes ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Arrested in Madera County Following Shooting

Trump Takes Questions about Pope Image
57 minutes ago

Millions of Americans Like Trump Better in Theory Than in Practice

Economist Jeffrey Sachs warns of potential US-Iran war in an interview with Tucker Carlson (pictured), citing decades of Israeli-influenced foreign policy in the Middle East. (Shutterstock)
1 hour ago

Tucker Carlson Says Trump ‘Complicit’ in Israel’s Attack on Iran

A man was slashed in the chin with a machete in a North Fresno apartment complex on Sunday, June 15, 2025,, prompting a seven-hour SWAT standoff that ended Monday, June 16, 2025. The suspect has been identified as Ronny Harris, 51. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Stabbing Leads to 7-Hour SWAT Standoff and Arrest, Suspect Identified

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend