Will Gen Z end friendships over political differences? A new episode of The White Lotus is bringing back discourse over whether politics should define friendships as the characters got into their own 2024 party affiliations. But viewers are split on their reactions to this scene—some are loving that the show represents their own experiences talking politics with friends. A Her Campus study of Gen Z, whose readers are mostly women, found 62% of the gen talked politics with friends at least sometimes pre-election, and 42% said they are at least somewhat likely to “end a friendship due to conflicting political views.” Other viewers are commenting on the show’s Instagram saying the scene alienates tons of the audience (because two of three arguing characters are Democrats, the third Independent). YPulse data shows young adults are actually more likely now to identify as Independent than Democrat or Republican—so this conversation might not look exactly the same for them. (Her Campus)
👀 Read more from YPulse: Is the Political Gender Divide Real for Gen Z and Millennials?
