Gen Z and the New Protest Era: A Worldwide Political Shift
A Generation in the Streets — How Gen Z Is Reshaping Global Protest Politics Global Affairs Desk Across continents, from capital cities in South Asia to university squares in Latin America and public plazas in Africa, a new political force is asserting itself. It is young, digitally native, impatient with traditional hierarchies, and increasingly unwilling to wait for incremental change. Generation Z — broadly defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s — is emerging as one of the most visible drivers of street-level political activism worldwide. The pattern is not confined to one ideology, one region, or one political system. Rather, it reflects a broader generational shift shaped by economic precarity, rapid technological change, distrust in established institutions, and a belief that conventional politics has failed to deliver equitable opportunity. A Demographic Tipping Point Gen Z now makes up a substantial share of the global population. In many countr...