Baby Boomers vs. Generation Z: Who’s really more progressive?

The characterisation of baby boomers as conservative and close-minded has been turned on its head – with Gen Z not quite as progressive as thought.

Baby Boomers tend to be regarded as conservative and closed-minded but eye-opening new research indicates they’re more progressive than Generation Z in some cases.

Research conducted by UTS Business School for the advertising agency Leo Burnett and media agency Zenith Australia has found the notion of a ‘fair go’ means different things to different age groups.

The findings, published in the latest iteration of The Good Study, show 81 per cent of Boomers would help someone in need even if they strongly disagreed with their point of view.

By comparison, Generation Z – or Zoomers – are significantly less inclined to lend a hand to someone whose values they clash with, with just 65 per cent of the age cohort willing to help.

Stereotypes about Baby Boomers have been turned on their head with new research conducted by UTS Business School.

Similarly, the study found 95 per cent of Boomers believe all Australians deserve a fair go – a belief they held regardless of someone’s political and religious beliefs.

That’s much higher than the 78 per cent of Zoomers who felt the same way.

Leo Burnett Australia’s chief strategy officer Catherine King, said the intriguing results indicate Zoomers are looking for their values and personal beliefs to be reflected in the world around them.

“That was really interesting to me and indicates young people perhaps become more easily enthused by [issues] that those of us who are more might have a more balanced view on,” Ms King said.

While there were stark differences between Boomers and Zoomers on those points, Professor Carl Rhodes, Dean of UTS Business School, said there were some “significant similarities”.

“In terms of what matters to people, there were some core things that all generations felt were important,” Professor Rhodes said.

“Things like businesses paying employees and suppliers fairly and providing stable and fair employment were important to all groups.”

Boomers have been found to be more tolerant than people might think. Picture: Supplied

Overall, an overwhelming 96 per cent of Australians want brands to do some kind of good in the world and stand for important causes.

But a surprising result that also transcended age will give cause to pause for those businesses who’ve jumped on a social justice bandwagon in recent times.

“The other common ground was also the majority of Australians don’t want businesses and brands to enter the political arena,” Ms King said.

“That was another finding we were particularly interested considering the number of businesses and brands entering the political and social fray and often the backlash they can receive as a result.”

It seems Aussies have become sceptical about a brand’s true intentions, seeing the embrace of often polarising or controversial issues to be mostly self-serving.

“They see it as just picking up on politics as a way of doing fairly crude marketing, or perhaps a belief that they’re doing it insincerely,” Ms King said.

Generation Z was far less likely to believe those they don’t agree with deserve a ‘fair go’.

The clear finding from the research is that Aussies have some pretty serious questions of trust, which could “reflect a cynicism” about brands and businesses.

“The flip side of that is if you want to be trusted, you have to behave in a trustworthy manner,” she said. “Corporations who are prepared to really get down and be serious about building trust and doing the right thing – that is a huge competitive advantage and one that very few have taken.”

Intifar Chowdhury, a youth researcher and expert in government at Flinders University, said Zoomers are arguably the most progressive generation of Australians in history.

“An important thing to do when making conclusions about any generation is to take into account many factors that might determine an individual’s attitude,” Dr Chowdhury said.

“Where they live, their socio-economic status, their level of education, their parents’ education, household make-up, primary language and so on.”

“But in my research, even when account for those things, Gen Z are more tolerant, both politically and socially, than any other generation.”

A sign of that open-mindedness is found when examining the make-up of people’s relationships – specifically, how likely someone is to date a person with different political views.

Dr Chowdhury has conducted analysis that shows that Zoomers are much more likely to partner up with someone who sits elsewhere on the political spectrum to them than their parents’ generation.

The number of so-called ‘politically mismatched partnerships’ has risen overall, from roughly 41 per cent of couples in 1996 to about 50 per cent at the 2022 election, she said.

But a whopping 91 per cent Zoomers are in a relationship with someone with differing political views, compared to just 36 per cent of Boomers.

“Increased levels of higher education, which have risen roughly 24 per cent since 1996, might offer one explanation,” Dr Chowdhury said.

“While it’s often argued universities are breeding grounds for left-wing radicalism, as people become more educated, they become more open to different views.

“I found people with a university education are roughly 30 per cent more likely than those without one to have a politically mismatched partner.”

Other explanations for the tendency for Zoomers to be more progressive are growing up in a more multiculturally diverse Australia, valuing things like social justice and the environment more strongly, and a lower likelihood of having partisan political views.

“Back in the day, people used to tow party lines,” Dr Chowdhury said.

“Even if you didn’t like a particular policy of the Liberal or Labour Party, if you were aligned with them then generally you’d stick with them. That lifelong allegiance has been declining.

“There’s been an increase in issue salience when it comes to voting. So younger people, particularly younger generations, are more likely to think about what issues they care about, and the vote will change based on the issue.

“Someone could be super progressive when it comes to women’s rights, and thus see themselves as being socially progressive, but could also be economically conservative.”