The Kids Aren't All Right: Gen Z Politics As A Search For Security

Abstract

On September 18th, 2025, Mr. Sam David presented The Kids Aren’t All Right: Gen Z Politics as a Search for Security. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The presentation discussed the rightward shift in Gen Z voters transnationally, suggesting that high exposure to ongoing crises contributes to a vulnerable worldview marked by ontological insecurity, pessimism, and disengagement. The presentation connected these insecurity dynamics to broader youth behaviors beyond elections, including trends in youth violence and emerging forms of nihilistic violent extremism defined by mixed ideologies, chaos-seeking, and cognitive overload.