By Denise Calderon, Nov 5, 2024
There are nearly 40 million Generation Zers eligible to vote this November, and many of them are ready to make their voices heard and disrupt the current political scene.
In the 2020 election, Gen Z broke records with about 53-55% of registered 18 to 29-year-olds casting their vote, according to an article published by CNBC that cited New Democrat Network president Simon Rosenberg.
In comparison to previous generations, Gen Z seems more excited to vote and is taking the initiative to go to the polls. With 8.3 million new voters, Gen Z is said to have made a big impact this election season. According to Tufts University, in the 2022 midterm election, only 28% of Gen Z who did not vote said that it did not matter, compared to 40% of millennials who said that as well. And about 35% of Gen Z stated voting was their responsibility.
Gen-Z Cal Poly Pomona students Juan Gomez, Ashwin Phillips and Enrique Govea have shown interest in forging a better path for their generation amid the tumultuous election season that could have serious repercussions for their future.
“As the Gen Z of my group chat, the millennials don’t care about voting,” said Gomez, a political science student. “We have been advocating for more young people to vote because it matters and affects those that come after us. I know that older generations see us as whiny kids, but that’s because we have seen so much in very little time, and voting is a means to start a change for the better.”
Despite what older generations might think, Gen Z is interested in a myriad of issues currently happening in the world. One of the most pressing issues that Gen Z is focusing on is economic issues, seeing the current state of the world and how difficult it has become for younger people to live comfortably.
According to GenForward Survey, 12% of adults between the ages of 18 and 26 years old believed economic growth was the most important issue facing our country, 10% said it was income inequality and about 7% said it was poverty.
“Issues with income inequality, housing affordability and education affordability aren’t exclusive to Gen Z, but they’re more extreme for us,” said Phillips, an environmental science student.
Gen Z is interested in trying to fix the issues with inflation, and according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement , having jobs that pay a livable wage was Gen Z’s third highest priority. Besides economic issues, the other areas that Gen Z is prioritizing are gun violence and racial inequality.
Gen Z has been motivated to be politically active and stay informed because of social media. Social media has been an avenue for younger generations to enter the political landscape, especially for those who are new voters interested in getting involved in politics. According to Circle, Gen Zers prefer to get their information from Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.
“I get my information from my For You page on social media,” said Govea, a food science and technology student.
A big proponent of social media, particularly TikTok, that has sparked political excitement to the younger generations is former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg. He has surpassed 830,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined.
He became Vogue’s political correspondent in July 2024, and he makes insightful yet fun videos on TikTok about politics; the videos are meant to be viewed by younger audiences because of their lighthearted nature. His mission is to be playful but at the same time spread awareness and the information people need to know in a way that is much more digestible for younger people.
In an interview with Town and Country Schlossberg said, “If you can get that message out there, in whatever way works, it doesn’t make it any less serious, or any less strategic, to get more people to watch it. And so that’s really all I’ve been trying to do. If I wanted to blow myself up, I could be doing a lot more, and I don’t want to do that”
The power of social media and the need for change has opened Gen Z’s eyes this election season. Gomez, like many other Gen Zers, said has seen the severity of our current state and wants a better future.
“The 2024 election will have a massive role in our future,” said Gomez. “There have been talks already about the potential damage (Donald) Trump can do if he’s in office again. So many people will lose jobs and benefits along with higher taxes for the middle and lower class while also having to contend with higher costs of living nationwide.”
Feature image courtesy of Darren Loo