The number of Gen Zers who identify as liberal has dropped 12 points according to a new report. The report, which was conducted in June, found that 21% of Gez Z identify politically as “don’t know/no opinion,” 24% identify as conservative, 26% identify as moderate, and 30% identify as liberal. Those who didn’t have a specific political identity had remained largely the same since a report in 2016, when 22% stated they did not know or had no opinion. Those who identified as conservative and moderate both increased from 18% in 2016, while those who identified as liberal dropped 12% from 42% in 2016. The decrease was higher than the general population, which had dropped 5 points for those who identified as liberal.

The study also noted a growing gender gap between Gen Z men and women.  “A battle of the sexes is clearly brewing: Gen Z women and men are uniquely divided on the merits of the #MeToo movement and the importance of shared values with romantic partners,” the report stated. The gap between young men and women politically is becoming increasingly more obvious, as study after study is revealing that young men in particular are becoming more conservative while young women are becoming more liberal.

The Harvard International Review offered several possible reasons for the growing divide, noting that young women now are attending colleges at greater rates than young men. It also noted the impact of new social situations. “Moreover, the Survey Center on American Life has proposed that women are becoming more liberal due to new experiences and social networks that differentiate them, such as the #MeToo feminist movement and the later Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision,” HIR noted. Young women are now participating at higher rates in youth organizations, sports, and social movements, which enables young women to come into contact with views different from their families’ “broadening their spectrum and shaping their political views to be more liberal.” Meanwhile, young men are participating increasingly less in such activities. The trend has also been seen in more European countries as well.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet noted that the shift towards conservatism has become more obvious on college campuses. He also noted that despite the gap between men and women, he believes there could be a shift coming amongst young women as well, stating that a recent Yale Youth poll had young women identifying as Republican up 4 points. “While the political gender gap is real, with the youngest voting group, those of college age 18-21 years old, recent polls like the Yale Youth Poll shows that not only are men R+19, but young women are R+4,” he said. “So instead of this being a male-only trend, we believe there’s evidence to indicate they are actually just a leading indicator of what is shaping up to be the biggest generational movement since Woodstock.”