A recent NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll surveying more than 30,000 adults reportedly reveals a stark generational and cultural divide, with younger Americans increasingly departing from values that have historically underpinned family and community life.
Focusing on nearly 3,000 Gen Z adults, ages 18 to 29, the poll finds striking differences not only between men and women but also between supporters of Donald Trump and voters aligned with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Among Trump-supporting men, traditional markers of a successful life remain paramount. “They ranked having children as the number one marker of success,” the survey notes, with other top values including marriage, spiritual grounding, and making one’s family or community proud. These respondents clearly prioritize personal responsibility, faith, and investment in the next generation.
The contrast is especially pronounced among Harris voters, particularly women. For this group, the NBC poll finds that having children ranks 12th out of 13 measures of success, while marriage ranks even lower.
Being spiritually grounded is virtually irrelevant. Instead, Harris-supporting women emphasize emotional stability, self-fulfillment, and leveraging personal talents to help others — values centered on individual feelings rather than enduring societal or familial commitments.
While Trump-supporting women maintain traditional priorities such as homeownership and spiritual grounding, Harris-supporting women place emotional well-being at the forefront, reflecting what some analysts interpret as a generational shift away from the foundations of Western civilization. “Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z women said they felt anxious ‘most’ or ‘all of the time,’” the poll found.
The pattern aligns with broader electoral trends. A 2023 Pew survey cited by Business Insider reported that more than seven in ten single women identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, compared with 45 percent of married women.
Similarly, an Ipsos survey noted that Harris led among single women voters by nearly 40 points just weeks before the 2024 election, highlighting the political and cultural dimensions of these value differences.
Observers note that the divide extends beyond politics into questions of moral and social priorities. For Trump-aligned Gen Z voters, family, faith, and financial independence remain central — hallmarks of self-reliance and community engagement.
In contrast, many Harris-supporting young Americans appear to measure success through personal emotional experiences, placing feelings above the enduring responsibilities of family, faith, and civic contribution.
For conservatives, the poll offers further evidence of what they have long suspected: that a segment of the youngest generation is drifting away from the institutions and principles that built and sustained American society.
While the country’s older generations still maintain a connection to these values, the survey underscores a growing cultural chasm, particularly among young women aligned with the Democratic Party.
The NBC poll paints a portrait of a generation caught between inherited traditions and a new moral framework centered on self-expression, emotional fulfillment, and a redefined notion of success — a divide that may shape politics, families, and civic life for decades to come.
[READ MORE: Trump Allies Clash in Profanity-Laced Confrontation at Washington Dinner]
