There's a growing movement of young people getting involved in politics.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, while polarizing, played a large role in recent elections, galvanizing young voters on a number of issues during a time of intense political division. Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event in Utah this week.

Experts say that while Gen Z's political participation is positive, they've really only known tense turmoil.

UC Davis Professor James Adams teaches about political anger.

"I explain to my students that the political atmosphere now is dramatically different than what it was when I was in college in the 1980s, and that back then if you would express the opinion that the other side is evil and demonized, you would be thought of as strange," he said.

Adams said it's difficult for his students to wrap their heads around "polite politics." He continued by saying that Kirk's suspected killer and Luigi Mangioni, who is charged in the shooting death of the United Healthcare CEO, aren't the norm.

"Living in the political atmosphere we do now, where people tend to fear and distrust and frankly demonize the opposition to a greater extent, is likely to trigger the kinds of individuals who are capable of this extreme violence that we're seeing," Adams said.

Adams said that young Americans, and Americans in general, are distinctly more angry than they used to be, partly due to fear of the other side of the political aisle and also partly due to the internet.

"Social media, online discourse is unquestionably playing a role in that people can now essentially inhabit echo chambers. Where they only interact with like-minded individuals, this can create a spiral," he said.