Negotiating Ethics: How Gen Z Tourists Balance Moral Intentions and Practical Limits?

ABSTRACT Research on Gen Z often presents them as ethically conscious consumers, yet little is known about how moral intentions translate into practice under real constraints. Existing studies seldom address how economic limits, emotional strain, and social expectations shape the contradictions of ethical and political consumption among this cohort. This study examines these issues through semi‐structured interviews with a sample of Gen Z tourists in a developed country context, framed by lifestyle politics and generational cohort theory. Findings show that while participants voiced strong concern for sustainability, human rights, and responsible travel, their actions were often restricted by cost, time, fatigue, and limited access to ethical options. Ethical consumption emerged as negotiated and inconsistent rather than coherent or habitual. By linking individual choices to structural and emotional conditions, the study advances understanding of lifestyle politics and argues that encouraging ethical tourism among youth requires systemic support beyond individual moral commitment.