Gen Z voters are mobilizing more than past generations, motivated by issues like abortion
Gen Z voters are mobilizing more than past generations, motivated by issues like abortion
Political groups and candidates are targeting young voters, who are motivated by specific policies like abortion.
Summary
Gen Z posted greater voter turnout in 2022 compared to previous generations in midterm elections. As the 2024 election approaches, campaigning continues to be directed at this generation — including outreach led by Gen Z voters themselves.
Gen Z voters are more motivated to participate in elections due to specific policy issues, particularly reproductive rights. Political groups and candidates are implementing new strategies to engage this generation, including peer-to-peer organizing and authentic messaging.
Vice President Harris has been praised for her relatable social media presence, while former President Trump has appeared on popular male-dominated podcasts.
Unlike previous generations who were able to conveniently ignore politics because most of it didn't directly impact them, more young people than ever are LGBT+ and/or disabled.
When I was growing up in the 90's, white Christian America still dominated, and so fewer young people were getting directly involved simply because there were fewer people upset at the state of things and more people who believed the propaganda that everything was fine.
Millennials and to a further extent Gen Z have lived in a world that just keeps fucking them over at every turn so they don't have a choice but to become involved. Millennials got involved in their adulthood, and Gen Z is growing up around and being influenced by those adults who are now politically involved.
It makes complete sense why they are more involved than past youth generations because in the past the youth had a lot less to lose.
Also, getting pregnant in your thirties is risky business so abortion is by and large a youth issue, because it impacts young women more then older women.
Currently the youth have a lot to lose so they are understandably getting involved.
Small clarification: more young people than ever are openly LGBT. They were always there, they just had to hide it.
1000% this. I'm now rediscovering my rather fluid gender identity and attraction to both genders that started in my late 30s. Looking back, all the signs were there, I just kept things private as it wasn't socially acceptable. Had some outlet with the teen goth scene, which was nonexistent in college. Grew up in a heavily catholic influenced region.
Have an awesome wife who is supportive and revealed she is (now was) also closet bi from the same generation.
We moved away from there, but when I visit family all the churches are run down and closed. I smile every time knowing their grip is loosening. All the LGBT hate today just tastes like desperation.
And as a consequence more young people know someone who is.
It’s a lot harder to hate a group of people you personally know members of.
Also, getting pregnant in your thirties is risky business so abortion is by and large a youth issue, because it impacts young women more then older women.
I'd argue differently. Free access to abortion affects all women. Obviously young women in their prime child-bearing years are affected, but older women are more likely to have complications which make access to medical abortion a life-or-death issue. And the oldest remember what life was like before the Roe decision. So it is not surprising that women of all ages are viewing this election as if their lives depended on it.
However, young white men are skewing right. Because the only thing the left says to them is they are privileged pieces of shit that are useless rapists that are trusted less than bears. Winning strategy.
Well, that's kind of true.
Bullshit. The message from the left is "you don't HAVE to be a privileged piece of shit that is a useless rapist." That isn't just aimed at young white men. It's aimed at anyone that was raised in a culture of toxic masculinity and feels like that's the persona they have to project to be considered manly. You have the choice to not be that person. The fact that so many men are is why women don't want to be alone around a strange man. Does that seem unfair to you? It probably is, but it's the culture we've built over generations, and it's going to take time and work to fix it. You aren't part of the solution by complaining. The left is pointing out uncomfortable truths. The right is doubling down and trying to encode them into laws.
This is great news. However, consider it fake news and vote early if you haven't aready.
This election can not be close. Trump will destory families, your elder family members health care, and younger generations hopes and dreams for a good life. Same sex marriage, the palestinian people, muslims/arabs, an brown people, black people, and the poor will all have their destroyed.
Vote early! Educate others if possible and help them reach the poles. Also, LOCAL ELECTIONS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
Hear a lot of Gen Z men vote Trump so still vote like your life depends on it. Because it does.
I think going from the relatively peaceful period of the 90s in the west to living through the Bush administration, 9/11, racist fear mongering and alarmism over terrorism, mass erosion of rights and privacy, jingoism and wars in the Middle East under false pretenses, the Bush adminstration's connections with the military-industrial complex getting exposed, seeing stuff like Fox News, Glenn Beck, and Bill O'Reilly start to mindrot the boomer generation into unrecognizable husks of their former selves, the 2008 market crash due the effects of all the failed conservative economic policies and deregulation that occured the past few decades — coloured Gen Xers' and Millennials' perspectives in a way that I imagine would be difficult for Gen Z to grasp.
They have no point of reference to see how badly things changed under the Republican party because they already grew up in the shit, and due to Republican obstructionism they may think that it's Democrats faults because Obama and Biden were in the White House, but much of the fixing actually needs to happen in the house. But even that may not be enough because of the partisan Supreme Court.
And honestly, in a case of a lot of cis Gen Z boys who've been sucked into some shoddy conservative ideas, I feel like we failed them if guys like Andrew Tate, Trump, and other such garbage heaps of human beings were the ones getting through to them.
Voting is great, but we need more young people actually taking offices.
Honestly I think a lot more than that is at stake if Trump dissolves NATO and destroys democracy, both of which he has already attempted to do before.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Voter turnout amongst young people is traditionally abysmal. That more are voting this time is great, but it’s still going to below 50%. Well, except for conservatives. They show up.
Please, people, voting takes less effort than a pub crawl. Just vote.
Pub crawls are too much effort, especially when you can just drink from the safety of your own home.
That said, I still voted. Dropping off my ballot was easier than getting up to use the bathroom when you're hungover.
I’ll drink to that!
YoUnG pEoPlE dOn'T vOtE! - people who don't want to address young people's concerns.
- Congress person addresses young people's concern 😁
- Young people don't vote anyway 🥱
- Congress person gets replaced by gerontological conservative 😔
- Young people [surprised Pikachu face]
- Boomers continue to bankrupt social security 🤑
Like so. Just preemptively announce that young people aren't gonna vote so you can continue to ignore their concerns.
Coming soon in the news: Trump blames Gen Z for being communists for losing the election
Cool, but I am not convinced that CIS Gen-Z men aren't mobilized to vote for Trump.
Neither am I, but I am convinced cis-Gen-Z-men aren't actually going to show up to fucking stand in line to vote after their 12 hour overnight shift at a steel mill.
These young guys are not a reliable voting bloc.
Do housing next. That's an area where everyone is equally fucked on the political spectrum aside from the rich.
Corporations should not own housing, unless its a non-profit working to serve the underprivileged.
The Youngs, the olds and the Puerto Ricans will save us all. Cool
Who are the olds? Millennials?
Gen X ain't doin shit, and Boomers are a foregone conclusion as the Champions of Dunning-Kruger.
In Iowa, Harris is leading by a lot with the over 65 crowd. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/iowa-poll/2024/11/02/iowa-poll-kamala-harris-leads-donald-trump-2024-presidential-race/75354033007/
Gen X is running for fucking president and vice president, yo.
More than past generations at their age. 18-29 year olds still vote less than any other age group. About 25% of Gen Z voted in 2022. While they're slightly more likely to vote than other age cohorts at the same age, youth voting is still dismal in the United States.
I sure as hell hope so. My generation, myself included, seems a bit lazy in comparison. I suppose the oldest of us millennials got hit hard by 2008, but I personally didn't, I was a teenager. So really, we've grown accustomed to living in good times and that makes people lazy. I reckon Gen Z and soon Alpha are going to pick up where we've failed and I'm ready to grab the popcorn.
This might be different in my country where we don't have a potential upcoming Trump presidency, BUT we're still affected by American politics. Last time Trump got elected, we had a huge surge in right wing Christian family values politics. We're an atheist or at best pagan nation at heart so this felt so fake from the get-go. Wdym "back to our Christian roots"? We used to fight Christianity with pitchforks and stuff!
I'm a younger millennial, my Alpha kids 10/7 are both very much so aware of social issues and we don't sugar coat answers when they ask questions. I'm trying to subliminally give them a fighting chance to think about this stuff on their own and make the right decisions.
https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-changes-political-divides-2019-7?op=1
Yeah, but watch out. Allegedly they're more conservative than you think.
And we're still somehow projected to lose the election to Donald fucking Trump.
They’ll learn just like we did, voting doesn’t matter. Continuing this charade of democracy where we vote 2 parties and watch as things get worse year on year, or only concern being “Well the others will make it even worse”.
Real change comes from the streets, from riot and protest, that’s what has lead to everything we are now losing today because we no longer fight.
Cool, you first. Go ahead. When the Trump Gestapo start marching down the steer in broad daylight, go out and riot. We'll be right behind you.
A few more days and we won’t have to deal with these lazy responses. Once Harris wins we can go back to focusing on the actual problems of capitalism and democracy.
Oh yeah? What change did you fight for?