Why Generation Z is less likely to view China as a threat

Recent research on American attitudes toward China reveal stark generational divides.

When asked if China’s growing presence on the world stage is a “critical threat,” 34 percent of Gen Z respondents agreed, compared to 43 percent of Millennials, according to an August survey from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Older generations were much warier, with 56 percent of Gen X and 62 percent of Boomers concerned about Chinese dominance.

Craig Kafura, the director of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, suggests that older and younger Americans have simply seen different Chinas.

“For baby boomers, for Gen Xers, these are folks who remember the Cold War. They remember China as this major Communist rival,” Kafura told The Hill.

For Gen Z in particular, Kafura said, “China is a booming economy. Maybe your first introduction to China was the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.”

“That’s a very different mental image of China than somebody who grew up the same time as Mao,” he added.

Americans of all ages, however, are warming up to their rival in the East.

In new data released Wednesday , Pew Research Center asked respondents to rate their feelings on China using a 0 (very cold) to 100 (very warm) scale and found that, on average, Americans give China a 37. In 2021, just after the coronavirus pandemic, that figure was 28.

The survey also found that younger generations hold a more positive opinion of Beijing.

Laura Silver, an associate director at Pew who led the research, provided an explanation for the generational differences similar to Kafura’s.

“Older people knew China as kind of Red China, China under Mao, Tiananmen. Younger people have never had that context,” she told The Hill. Instead, Gen Z knows China as a “superpower that rivals the United States.”

“And I do think that those types of differences in terms of what you knew about China as you were coming of age do play a role and speak to the fact that we’ve seen age differences in our polling for two decades,” she added.

Tuned out: Gen Z values press freedom but steers away from traditional media

Gen Z, notoriously known as passive news consumers, actually values press freedom more than other generations .

In a new Pew Research Center report , 57 percent of adults 18-29 said it is more important for the press to be free to report the news, even if some reporting is inaccurate. In comparison, 43 percent of adults 30-49 and 42 percent of adults 50-plus said the same.

Gen Z was also least likely to say that the government should be able to take down a news story if it poses a risk to national security, contains false information or is critical of the government, at 52 percent, 45 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

Older generations leaned more toward government intervention. Baby boomers, for example, responded with 66 percent, 53 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

“When people are forced to reckon with these circumstances, they tend to defer to the notion that there should be some intervention in place,” Kirsten Eddy, a senior researcher at Pew, told The Hill.

Last week, President Trump revoked White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. He accused the outlets of making “false statements about the war.”

Gen Z actually sees Trump has having a better relationship with the media than older Americans.

Fifteen percent of Gen Z classified the Trump administration’s relationship with U.S. news media as somewhat or very good, compared to 11 percent for Millennials and 10 percent for Gen X. (Baby Boomers were at 9 percent.)

This doesn’t mean that young adults are under generational delusion; it instead showcases the dramatic shift in their news consumption. Gen Z is less likely to seek news out than older generations. Instead, stories pop up via influencers and social media algorithms. They’re also more likely to support advocacy journalism and journalists who also share opinions, per Eddy.

According to a Navigator study , 52 percent of Gen Z passively seeks out news, compared to 43 percent of Millennials, 40 percent of Gen X and 31 percent of Boomers. This generational shift is a trend, Tina Tang, director of polling and analytics at Navigator, told The Hill.

Researchers also conducted qual boards — a private online forum — and engaged passive news consumers on their media diets. Participants listed an array of online outlets and creators that kept them informed.

“For a lot of these passive news consumers, they engage in a different way. Just because they’re passive, especially for Gen Z, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about politics,” Tang said. “They’re siloed, but not as siloed as we think.”

Gen Z job trends: Nearly 3 in 4 Gen Z healthcare workers are looking for an escape from their current role

Gen Zers are no stranger to “job hopping.”

Young adults’ average tenure at a job within the first five years of their career is only 1.1 years, according to a 2025 report from Randstand .

But one industry is particularly affected: healthcare.

A September 2026 study from The Harris Poll showed that 70 percent of Gen Z healthcare workers are actively searching for their next job within the industry.

This comes as the Health Resources and Services Administration projects the U.S. will face a shortage of 500,000 healthcare workers by 2038.

Adele Webb, a nurse for over 42 years and healthcare workforce advisor at Workforce Edge, which co-commissioned the poll, sees the trend unfold in front of her.

Only 26 percent of Gen Z healthcare workers trust their employer for long-term growth, a 54-point gap between what employers want and what they believe they will actually get.

“The survey shows that trust is low, and I think part of it is that employers don’t understand what it is the employees want, or they can’t figure out a way to provide it,” Webb told The Hill.

Employers are also recognizing the trust gap. Almost half (47 percent) believe a lack of advancement opportunities, career development or education are the main reasons employees leave.

“The trust gap is really concerning because I think it’s one of the things that causes people to burnout or move on,” she added.

Artificial intelligence is also creeping into the industry, with healthcare workers exercising their AI use with caution. Forty-eight percent feel comfortable using AI, and another 39 percent said the technology doesn’t have any impact on their work.

Webb said that respondents said they did not see AI as a threat to their job, but something that could bolster their position. While other fields differ, nurses are more hands-on. “You’re not gonna get that through artificial intelligence,” Webb said.

Webb believes it’s up to Gen Z to ask questions about how they will help advance their career.

“They need to advocate for themselves,” Webb said.

The Harris Poll surveyed 1,514 healthcare employees and 304 healthcare employers between June 12 to July 1, 2026. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points for employees and 6.7 percent for employers.

The Feed is a weekly scoop on Generation Z put together by three Generation Z editors at The Hill. We’re working to understand the ins and outs of our generation’s politics. Send tips or comments to awalker@thehill.com, jfeldstein@thehill.com or cleibowitz@thehill.com.