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The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention

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  • Abigail Vegter
  • Alexandra T. Middlewood

Abstract

Objective We propose that citizens navigate an increasingly complex social and political world using a “cultural toolkit” shaped by firearms and gun violence. Young people in particular have experienced more mass shootings than any previous generation and have witnessed a lack of government response to these massacres. This article explores the attitudes that members of the Massacre Generation express about mass shooting prevention. Methods We analyze data from several public opinion surveys conducted following major mass shootings in the United States using logistic regression. These surveys were fielded and sponsored by a variety of organizations and asked a nearly identical question about whether mass shootings can be prevented by societal and governmental action. Results We find that the Massacre Generation is indeed more likely to think the government can prevent mass shootings by implementing stricter gun control laws. We find evidence of these attitudes in multiple public opinion surveys from 2012 to 2018. Furthermore, we find no age effect in multiple surveys conducted between 1999 and 2011, suggesting that these attitudes are a relatively new phenomenon. Conclusion Young people today express that government regulation (i.e., stricter gun laws) can prevent gun violence, placing them at odds with older generations. We discuss the implications of our findings for gun policy development and the future of the gun debate.

Suggested Citation

  • Abigail Vegter & Alexandra T. Middlewood, 2022. "The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(4), pages 820-832, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:103:y:2022:i:4:p:820-832
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.13148
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alexandra Filindra & Noah Kaplan, 2017. "Testing Theories of Gun Policy Preferences Among Blacks, Latinos, and Whites in America-super-," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 98(2), pages 413-428, June.
    2. Kleck, Gary & Gertz, Marc & Bratton, Jason, 2009. "Why do people support gun control?: Alternative explanations of support for handgun bans," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 496-504, September.
    3. Alexandra Filindra & Loren Collingwood & Noah J. Kaplan, 2020. "Anxious About Social Violence: The Emotional Underpinnings of Support for Gun Control," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2101-2120, September.
    4. Steven V. Miller, 2019. "What Americans Think About Gun Control: Evidence from the General Social Survey, 1972–2016," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 100(1), pages 272-288, February.
    5. Mark R. Joslyn & Donald P. Haider-Markel, 2013. "The Politics of Causes: Mass Shootings and the Cases of the Virginia Tech and Tucson Tragedies," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 94(2), pages 410-423, June.
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