Understanding the future of global politics requires understanding the political leanings of Generation Z. The group, which includes those born between 1997 and 2012, is the largest generation in history, and its more than 2 billion members worldwide represent a highly active constituency of emerging young voters.
Recent studies show that Gen Z’s politics differ from those of earlier generations in several ways. A Gallup poll conducted in the US in 2025 shows that Gen Z is more independent than any other generation. At 56%, Gen Z is nearly twice as likely to be independent as the Silent Generation, which includes those born before 1946. The Gallup poll also showed that 27% of Gen Z favor the Democratic Party and only 17% favor the Republican Party, marking a shift to the left that differs from the politics of Millennials.
But understanding how Gen Z voters differ from those of older generations requires more than just identifying their political party affiliation. Gen Zers are a demographic that is politically engaged in ways that go beyond the voting booth. In countries around the world, they are impacting the political landscape with protests and other initiatives aimed at bringing about political change.
How have Venezuelan politics impacted younger generations?
The US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro caught the attention of younger generations in the US and beyond. In the US, the move upset younger voters who had been promised a new era of peace from President Donald Trump during the 2024 election.
For those in Venezuela, however, the intervention served as an invitation to take a courageous stand against corruption. Pedro A. Rojas Arroyo, founder of VIVY TECH, provides an example of the type of political awakening Gen Z is driving in Venezuela. Arroyo entered politics formally at the age of 14, beginning a journey that has involved persecution and exile.
“Since I was a kid, I have always been very aware of and engaged in the politics of my country,” Arroyo shares. “Even without understanding it all, I have always known communism, corruption, and militarization destroyed my home.”
In 2017, a national crackdown on political opposition sparked protests in Arroyo’s native home of Venezuela. According to the organization Human Rights Watch, the government responded to the protests with “widespread violence and brutality.”
“During the protests of 2017, university students frustrated with hyperinflation and hunger took the main streets of the capital for days, only to get brutally killed by our armed forces,” Arroyo recalls. “That is a moment I will never forget nor pardon. That day, I made a promise to myself and my family to stand and fight. I was a 13-year-old kid, but I made a commitment to avenge my brothers at all costs.”
Over the next two years, Arroyo became a prominent figure in junior politics. When protests started again in 2019, Arroyo pleaded with his parents to let him “go out and fight.”
“I armed myself with a cardboard shield and a motorcycle helmet and ran to face officials armed with shotguns and tear gas,” Arroyo shares. “The protests lasted for months, during which I witnessed a friend being killed. A week after the killing, my step-brother was put into the worst prison in the country, where he was left without any human rights for months.”
Arroyo remembers with frustration the way in which his generation responded to the conflict. Rather than joining him on the streets, most Gen Zers in Venezuela avoided the conflict.
“While I was facing bullets instead of going to school, most of my friends were at home enjoying life,” Arroyo says. “Today, however, my generation is a force capable of making a difference. I definitely believe that in light of the current political landscape, my generation would fight to the death to secure justice and freedom.”
What role will Gen Z play in the next phase of Venezuelan politics?
Experts say the removal of Maduro is just the first of many steps that could lead to democratic freedoms for the people of Venezuela. A recent report from the Council on Foreign Relations suggests that Venezuela’s future will be marked by “uncertainty, fragmentation, and perhaps even chaos” as it looks to put corruption behind it and restore democracy.
Arroyo believes Venezuela’s new government, headed by Delcy Rodríguez, may need to contend with opposing factions to remain in control. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think armed conflict is out of the question.
Rather than watching as entrenched political factions battle out to become the successor to Maduro, Arroyo hopes to see what he calls an “internal explosion” changing the power dynamic once and for all. His vision is for millions of Venezuelans, including his fellow Gen Zers, to take to the streets and demand that every corrupt government official be brought to justice or sent into exile.
“Venezuelan socialism and corruption have taken everything from me — my house was raided, my cars were taken, my friends were killed, and my family was imprisoned,” Arroyo says. “I have seen the failed experiment, and it is very clear to me that the only model that will work is one of common sense in which we work for the things that actually matter. The movement we need is one that will bring back the normal, bring back the just, and bring back the common sense. We need a government committed to putting an end to corruption.”
