Why Are We Calling College Protesters “Uninformed”?

Earlier this month, during an interview on the MSNBC show, Morning Joe, Hillary Clinton made a few remarks about students protesting on college campuses. She said that young people today “don’t know very much” about Middle Eastern history or history in general. 

“I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months now,” she told host Joe Scarborough on the daily morning show. “They don’t know very much at all about the history of the Middle East, or frankly about history, in many areas of the world, including in our own country.”

According to Ms. Clinton, this “lack of knowledge” might be contributing to the protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. She thinks the demonstrations are more about misinformation and ignorance rather than a response to the actual facts of the situation. She also suggested that young people might not be aware that if Yasser Arafat had accepted the deal negotiated by her husband, President Bill Clinton, the Palestinians would already have their own state. “It’s one of the great tragedies of history that he was unable to say yes,” she said.

Though her comments faced opposition on social media, in the press, and from some politicians, it’s likely that many Americans who disagree with the protests can relate to Ms. Clinton’s viewpoint. It plays into the stereotype of Gen Z college students as entitled “snowflakes” who are overly sensitive and out of touch with the real world. Instead of responding to the facts, maybe they’re reacting emotionally because they have a heightened sense of empathy for the underdog.

It’s understandable why this explanation would resonate with those who find the opposition distasteful, but just because something is appealing doesn’t make it true. Clinton’s remarks weren’t backed by verifiable data; she likely formed her opinion only from her own points of view from conversations with young people. We all do this to a certain degree, but social scientists have long argued that relying solely on personal impressions isn’t a reliable method for drawing conclusions.

In most social psychology college courses, students learn that human beings often jump to wrong conclusions, and to some extent, we’re all naturally biased and have a tendency to look for information that backs up what we already believe and ignore anything that doesn’t fit – just as Ms. Clinton did. But the thing is, available data doesn’t actually back up the idea that Gen Z is any less informed about history or politics compared to other generations. In fact, a recent survey study conducted by the Gallup and Walton Family Foundation indicates that Gen Z does not lack knowledge in these areas – their scores on specific items sometimes turned out higher than other generational groups.

There’s evidence that Gen Z has different views on politics and foreign policy, but they appear to be more influenced by different priorities and perspectives, rather than a lack of information. Studies by the Pew Research Center have found that younger voters prioritize fighting climate change, protecting jobs for Americans, and improving relationships with allies. On the other hand, older voters are more concerned with protecting Americans from terrorist threats and minimizing illegal immigration. 

Unlike their older generations, younger voters are also less supportive of the U.S. taking on a global leadership role and they have less favorability towards defense spending. They show more support for international efforts to promote human rights and basic living standards and are less in favor of military intervention. In addition, research shows that younger Americans, including Millennials and Gen Z, have less confidence in the criminal justice system and the federal government. They also demonstrate a higher level of skepticism towards the media and typically seek information from multiple sources for information. 

The students protesting today have had to adapt to the world as it is. They’re not “different” or distressed because they lack the right mindset or don’t understand what’s happening around them. They’re distressed because they understand that the world is burning and adults have let them down time and time again. This generation has a front-row seat to climate catastrophe, widening economic inequality, and highly visible and violent social injustices. They’re inheriting water, land, and bodies filled with chemicals, and they’ve grown up with bullies, racists, and rapists lurking on their phones – constant threats that they carry with them. They’ve seen delusional billionaires profit from their addictions and anxieties, and their introduction to public and civic life at school has been shaped by gun violence and the constant fear of death. 

And that’s all before a pandemic upended their adolescent lives.

Younger groups of Americans are also more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity and are more likely to have experienced discrimination. As a result, they express lower pride in being American, do not blindly accept the notion that “America is the best”, and they question whether every action taken by America and its allies is truly for the greater good. Young Americans believe that there are other countries that are better than the United States and are more supportive of informal political participation, so it only makes sense that they are showing up to protest Israel’s military action in Palestinian territories. The generation is deeply concerned about human rights and is not supportive of these types of militaristic endeavors, so they reject the idea of witnessing extensive destruction and harm inflicted upon people because they prefer non-traditional methods of political engagement. 

An essential key point of a college education is acquiring the ability to question, analyze, interpret, and make a judgment about what we read, hear, say or write. It’s all about exercising the refusal to accept information without question but really evaluating it based on the evidence that’s available. We always say that our goal as older adults is to make sure our young folks know how to think, not what to think. We don’t want them to feel like they have to reject their own values or avoid their responsibilities as citizens in a democracy. 

So, if they end up thinking differently from us and putting their own conclusions into action, then their grit and resilience should be commended, not criticized.