2024 Ambassador S. Phillips’61 Family Lecturer

John Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, visited the School in November to talk about his research and polling initiatives to understand American youth. 

Della Volpe is the author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America. He is also a contributor for MSNBC, regularly appearing on Morning Joe, and his opinion pieces have been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. 

Gopika ’27, who introduced Della Volpe, said of his visit, “It is very empowering to see someone who is dedicated to amplifying the voice of my generation. It's not something we see often and is especially significant in a community like Choate, where so many students are civically engaged; it inspires us to keep on creating change and making a positive impact on our community. His work, which focuses on quantitative research combined with the lived personal experiences of Gen Z, is powerful and means a lot.” 

Seven years ago, Della Volpe says he noticed that “this Gen Z was different” when his standard polling questions produced very different answers than those from preceding generations. “Rather than the optimism that was typical of that age,” he says, “Gen Z’ers expressed real concerns,” but Della Volpe also identified a resilience underlying their fears, one characterized by activism. 

According to Della Volpe, instead of falling under the weight of the things they have experienced-- the opioid epidemic, mass school shootings, climate change, and racial injustice to name a few—Gen Z has organized around these and other issues, becoming more politically engaged, full of personal and political purpose. 

In answer to the questions posed by teacher Tim Yun of what older generations can do to lift up and support Gen Z, Della Volpe gave a two-part answer. First, spend time asking young people ‘What’s a good day for you? And what are the stressors?” Secondly, “Remind Gen Z that we live in a different and better place because of their engagement.”