Think of Generation Z, and your mind might turn to the tired clichés of TikTok challenges, campus protests, radical gender politics, and microscopic attention spans. But the truth is far more complicated than that. As global politics veer to the right and young people struggle to navigate a boomer-coded world, many are embracing a different way of living.
In 2025, conservative and traditional values continue to rise, and some members of Gen Z have forged a strange, internet-savvy puritanism that evolves by the day. According to a 2024 study on American teens from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, 14% of Gen Z teens identify as more conservative than their parents, double the rate among millennials. A 2025 report from The Times and YouGov also cited that 62% of Gen Z adults consider marriage important, compared to just 39% who held this view two decades ago.
So, Why This Generational Shift?
Our latest white paper, created by VIRTUE Worldwide’s research and foresight arm, PIGEON, digs into Gen Z's unexpected turn towards traditionalism.
We spoke to young people and cultural experts who had a lot to say about traditional gender roles, the rise of Trump, the pull of neo-conservatism and their outlooks on the future. We asked:
We also explored the appeal of key subcultures: trad wives, homesteaders, Andrew Tate-adjacent hustle bros, conspiratorial MAGA influencers, young European conservatives, religious convert YouTubers, off-grid lifestylers, and everything in between. Whether they're promoting toxic masculinity or wholesome family values, what unites these groups is a pushback against Western liberalism.
Most importantly, this white paper asks: what can we learn from this most unlikely of youthquakes - and how can brands respond to these evolving cultural needs?
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