Why Are Gen Z So Pro-China?

As you might have noticed, China has recently enjoyed somewhat of a PR comeback. Polling reliably shows that

comeback. Polling reliably shows that global opinion towards China has improved steadily over the past couple of years, rising marketkedly from the lows we saw during the pandemic, when Chinese officials spent much of their

time practicing wolf warrior diplomacy on Twitter. What's more striking,

on Twitter. What's more striking, however, is that it's consistently young people who are less negative about China than their older counterparts. So, in

this video, we thought we'd take a look on how Jenz's opinion of China differs from older generations across the globe and try our best to explain why young

people are apparently more pro-China.

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at twolong.news or by clicking the link in the description. Offer ends December 3rd. So, let's start by looking at the

3rd. So, let's start by looking at the polling. A recent Globe Scan poll

polling. A recent Globe Scan poll surveyed 32,000 respondents from across 32 countries and it found in every single country including the US preference for China as the world's

leading power has risen while support for America has slipped. But perhaps

more notably, the younger the respondent, the more likely they were to welcome Chinese leadership. In other

words, while views of China have become slightly more positive across the globe in recent years, this shift has been particularly marked among those below the age of 24. As we can see, among 18

to 24 year olds globally, support for China versus the US is nearly tied at 39 and 41% respectively. While in every other age cohort, the US has maintained

a clear lead. Another 2025 poll by Pew Research backs this up, showing that younger people generally view China more positively than their older counterparts. For example, in the UK,

counterparts. For example, in the UK, 56% of those aged 18 to 34 had a favorable view of China compared to just 28% of those aged 50 plus. Even in

countries where opinion towards China is generally pretty negative, like Japan and the US, this trend still holds up and young people are more positive than older generations. What's behind all of

older generations. What's behind all of this, though? Why do young people seem

this, though? Why do young people seem to be more open to China than older people? Well, we see at least five

people? Well, we see at least five potential reasons that might explain this tendency. The first is that young

this tendency. The first is that young people just really don't like Trump. As

we've detailed in previous videos, young people are more disproving of Trump than any other generation. While more Gen Z back Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign than in previous runs, according to a Yugov poll taken in

October, support for Trump among young Americans has reached an all-time low with his net approval rating falling to below -50, down from basically evens at the start of his term. In other words,

while Trump's net approval has declined in all age groups since the start of his term, no age group has registered as big a drop as adults under 30. It's at least possible that young Americans

disillusionment with Trump has translated to greater support for China, at least when it comes to which superpower young people would prefer to lead the world. The second reason is a

related but broader phenomenon, a generational decline in democratic faith. A 2020 report from the Center for

faith. A 2020 report from the Center for the Future of Democracy, for instance, shows that young people across the globe have less faith in democratic politics than any other age group. This isn't

just in absolute terms, but also relative to older cohorts at comparable stages in life. Similarly, this year's youth study revealed that fewer than six in 10 young Europeans, believe that

democracy is the best form of government. There are lots of reasons

government. There are lots of reasons that young people, especially in the West, might be skeptical of democracy.

Western democracies have struggled since really 2008, but falling birth rates have also put young people at a structural disadvantage in democracies.

Because there are less of them, they can be and often are outvoted by older generations. Unsurprisingly, this has

generations. Unsurprisingly, this has made young people more open to authoritarian forms of government like in China. In fact, just earlier this

in China. In fact, just earlier this year, a Yuggov poll revealed that more than one in five Gen Z Europeans, 21% would favor an authoritarian rule under

certain unspecified circumstances. While

another poll by Adam Smith Insights revealed that somewhat astonishingly a third of British 18 to30y olds would prefer an authoritarian system over democracy. This leads us to our third

democracy. This leads us to our third point. Young people tend to be less

point. Young people tend to be less afraid of communism. A 2025 report by Onward and Merlin Strategy found that positive views of communism are significantly higher among younger Brits

than older generations. As a survey shows, the likelihood of someone reporting a positive view of communism drops sharply with age. Nearly a third of British people aged 18 to 24 say that

they view communism either very or fairly positively, while only 3% of those in the 55 to 64 age bracket say the same. This isn't just a British

the same. This isn't just a British phenomenon, either. A 2020 Yuggov poll

phenomenon, either. A 2020 Yuggov poll revealed that younger Americans also view communism far more favorably than their older counterparts. This would

partly explain why younger people are apparently less wary of China, which obviously is run by the Chinese Communist Party. The fourth potential

Communist Party. The fourth potential reason is climate change.

Unsurprisingly, given that they're more likely to be affected by it, young people are more concerned than older cohorts about climate change. Yuggov

polling consistently finds that young Brits are more likely than old Brits to cite the environment as one of the top issues facing the country. While Pew

polling from earlier this year found that young people in developed countries are more willing to make lifestyle changes to curb the effects of climate change. While China is still the world's

change. While China is still the world's largest emitter, the Chinese leadership at least takes the issue of climate change seriously. The CCP have committed

change seriously. The CCP have committed to peaking Chinese emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by60.

And Chinese industry is proving to be the backbone of the energy transition.

China already accounts for something like 90% of solar panel manufacturing and is expected to generate 60% of the world's energy by 2028. Conversely, the

Trump administration seems pretty skeptical of climate change and has implemented policies to revive America's oil and gas industries as part of Trump's campaign promise to quote drill

baby drill. At the same time, Trump has

baby drill. At the same time, Trump has taken steps to undermine America's domestic renewables industry, including withdrawing many of the climate subsidies introduced by Biden's inflation reduction act. The fifth and

final potential reason is that China's limited cultural exports are generally directed more at younger people than older. The most obvious example is Tik

older. The most obvious example is Tik Tok, which obviously is used more by Gen Z than any other generation. In 2023, a social sphere poll found that 66% of Gen Z Americans had a favorable view of Tik

Tok compared to only 46% of millennials who felt the same, as well as them generally being far less concerned about Chinese misuse of the platform. Other

Chinese platforms popular with young people include Teimu and Sheen. And more

recently, Laboo Dolls, made by Chinese toy maker PopMart, and especially popular with young people, have been interpreted by at least some commentators as a symptom of China's

growing soft power. Obviously, this

isn't hard data, but it seems plausible that more cultural exchange might make young people less anti-China. So, there

you have it. Five reasons why young people are generally more open to China than older generations. Again, this

isn't intended as a complete explanation. So, if there are any other

explanation. So, if there are any other reasons we can think of or things we might have missed, then please let us know in the comments. And if you're interested in the growing influence that China yields, then we have a whole

segment on it in our magazine, Too Long, where we unpack if we're already living through the Chinese century. Plus, this

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