Knight Generational Analysis

This analysis examines six segments created from the Public Opinion on Internet Content Regulation of the Knight Media and Democracy survey by generational cohort.

The three generations of interest here include the up and coming Generation Z cohort, the Younger Millennials and the Older Millennials. Table 1 below provides shows the weighted percentage these generations (or mini-generations in some instances) make up of the overall sample. Gen Z is the smallest of the groups, representing 6%; both waves of Millennials are about 3-4 times bigger.

Notably, the largest age group consists of the older generations, including Gen X and, of course, the Baby Boomers, but this group will not be a focus of this analysis.

Generational Make-up of the Six Segments: Unfazed Digital Natives and the Reformers are more likely to be younger (Millennials)

In four of the six segments (including the Traditionalists, the Concerned Spectators, the Individualists, and the Unplugged and Ambivalent), the older generations (i.e. the Gen X’ers onward or, more plainly, people aged 46 and older) constitute at least a slightly majority (as they do in the overall sample). While the results in Graph 1 below do not include the 46+ group, they were included in the calculation of the statistic.

With that in mind, where do we see a great presence of the younger generations, relatively speaking? The Unfazed Digital Natives is the youngest of all the Segments, with the Gen Z and the two Millennial batches constituting 58% of the entire group. Younger Millennials make up a decisive contribution to this group, at nearly a third (32% compared to their 24% in the overall population). Unfazed Digital Natives are slightly more likely to be from Generation Z than respondents not from that generation, at 8% vs 6%.

The Reformers is also a comparatively young group, with the three generations slightly outnumbering those aged 46 and older (53% to 46%. respectively). Again, the Younger Millennials are the driving force of the segment’s youthful complexion, representing 30% of this segment. Neither of the other two young generations are especially likely to be in this segment.

While no other segment can be said to be especially young, quite a few are especially old. The Unplugged and Ambivalent and Traditionalists would come first to mind – 64% of both groups are 46 or older. Again, it is notable that the largest deviation with respect to the young generations can be found in the Younger Millennial cohort, who drops to 13% among the Unplugged and Ambivalent and 14% for the Traditionalists. The other two generations are generally static, though Gen Z does drop to 4% among the Traditionalists, which is slightly lower than would be expected.

Younger Generations not totally aligned in terms of segment membership

Looking at this relationship the opposite way – what is the segment membership of young generation – helps clarify these relationships further. As Chart 2 below shows, there are some key differences in which are the more popular segments among the three generations. For Younger Millennials, a strong plurality (36%) fall into the Reformers camp, higher than either other generation, as well as the U.S. adult population as a whole. About a quarter of Younger Millennials are considered Unfazed Digital Natives, which is higher than the 19% this group makes up of among all adults, but is slightly below the Gen Z membership rate of 26%, at least on a nominal basis.

Younger Milleannials are especially unlikely to be Traditionalists, a trait they share with the younger-still Gen Z cohort, but not the Older Millennials. While 5% of the younger two generations fall into this segment, 9% of Older Millennials can be found here (on par with the national average).

Turning to Gen-Z, they are about as likely to be Reformers, a group notable for its political activism, as Unfazed Digital Natives, a group that is notable for its lack of political activism (28% to 26%). Gen Z is also much more likely than any other generation (including the older cohorts not shown here) to be an Unfazed Digital Native.

Older Millennials more closely resemble the overall population in terms of their generational segment profile. Compared to the other two young generations, this group has a somewhat higher tendency to be Individualists; they are also less likely to be found among the Unfazed Digital Natives.

Gen Z least likely to trust major technology companies; Older Millennials less trusting of information on social media

Two questions on the Knight Media and Democracy survey focused on individuals trust in “major technology companies,” as well as their trust in information viewed on social media. While there are not exactly sharp divisions between the three young generations on these items, there are some differences.

Take the item about trust in technology companies. The youngest group, Gen Z, is much more likely to strongly disagree or disagree with the statement “I trust major technology companies,” than their older counterparts – at 60% for Gen Z, while this figure stands at 54% for Younger Millennials and 49% for Older Millennials.

A somewhat different picture emerges with respect to trust in information seen on social media. Here Older Millennials are especially likely to “strongly disagree,” with the notion that they trust information viewed on social media – compared to 39% of Younger Millennials and 35% of Gen Z. However, all generations skew heavily toward the skeptical end of the spectrum and 0% of all three groups said “strongly agree”.

Spread of misinformation online top concern for all young generations but especially Younger Millennials; Older Millennials are more concerned aboutfree speech online and online bullying

The Knight Media and Democracy survey asks a question series measuring the level of concern an individual has about certain aspects of technology and the technology companies. The question is as follows:

  • Q16. How concerned are you about each of the following issues? (Not at all concerned, not very concerned, somewhat concerned, very concerned)
    • Q16A The size and power of major technology companies
    • Q16B The way major technology companies use your personal data
    • Q16C The spread of misinformation online
    • Q16D Hate speech and other abusive or threatening language online
    • Q16E Online bullying
    • Q16F Free speech online
    • Q16G The tone of online interactions

Chart 5 below shows the results for each of these items across the three young generations. In terms of being “very concerned,” all three generations show a maximum level of concern for the “spread of misinformation online,” especially Younger Millennials (66% of whom say they are ‘very concerned,’ about the spread of misinformation online, compared to 61% of older Millennials and 59% of Gen Z).

The number two concern for all generations (or, for Gen Z, this actually ties for first alongside the spread of misinformation) is related to “the way technology companies use your personal data.” About six-in-ten of all three generations say they are very concerned with this, at 60% for older Millennials, 59% for Gen Z and and 57% for Younger Millennials.

The three generations are about equally disturbed by “hate speech and other abusive or threatening language online,” with roughly half saying they are very concerned about this.

Older Millennials, though, are somewhat more concerned about “online bullying,” than their younger counterparts – with 48% of the oldest cohort saying they are “very concerned,” about such behavior, compared to a lesser 42% of Younger Millennials and 39% of Gen Z. A similar pattern is evident, though to a lesser degree, with respect to “free speech online.” Nearly a third (32%) of Older Millennials are very concerned about this issue, compared to 25% of Younger Millennials and 23% of Gen Z.

Gen Z, on the other hand, is relatively more worried about the “size and power of major technology companies,” with 37% saying they are very concerned. For Older Millennials, this figure is 31% and for Younger Millennials it is 35%.

Finally, all three generations share a lack of concern about “the tone of online interactions,” with around a quarter saying they are very concerned. Indeed, 40% of Gen Z is “not very concerned,” or “not concerned at all,” about this issue, suggesting their overall level of anxiety about this issue is lower than the other two generations (as 33% of Younger Millennials and 30% of Older Millennials are not concerned to some degree).

Another way to look at these items is the level of “net concern,” the three generations has for each of the issues measured in the question series. “Net concern,” reflects the percentage who said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned less the percentage who said they were not very concerned or concerned at all. If the “net concern,” score is positive (and, as Table 2 below shows, the net concern is always positive), this means more people were concerned (to some degree) than not concerned (to some degree).

In general, each of the items measured in Q16 caused, on balance, some level of concern across the three generations. The way major technology companies uses personal data is the highest source of net concern for all three generations (though, as we have seen, “the spread of misinformation online,” is the item the three generations were most likely to say they were ‘very concerned,’ about).

The greatest divergence on these issues, in terms of net concern, is “the tone of online interactions,” which has +40 and +34 net concern across the two older generations, but +20 for Gen Z and “free speech online,” where Older Millennials register a +24 net concern, compared to +10 and +6 for Younger Millennials and Gen Z (respectively).

All three young generations pessimistic that that internet will heal country’s political divisions, though Gen Z is slightly more hopeful than Millennials

In terms of the internet’s ability to heal the country’s political divisions, no cohort examined here is particularly hopeful (see Table 3). However, Gen Z is nearly twice as likely as either wave of the Millennial generation to say the internet can “bring us together,” at 16%, compared to 10% among Younger Millennials and 8% of older Millennials.

The same dynamic is evident with respect to the level of each cohort who said the internet will “divide us,” but in reverse: now Millennials, especially Older Millennials, are more keen to offer this response.