THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GEN Z VOTE

By Branda Gorgies

Photos from Creative Commons, Pew Research Center

Who is Gen Z?

August 9, 2024 (San Diego) -- Generation Z, also known as Zoomers, includes all those born from 1997 to 2012, making the older end of the generation 27 years old this year and the younger end 12 years old. Before Gen Z, there were the Millennials(1981-‘96), and then Gen X(1965-‘80), the infamous Boomers(1946-’64), and the Silent generation(1928-‘45).

Generational divides have long been used as a way to categorize age in order to study demographics. Age and experiences are key factors in moral, political, and economic interests. By grouping people up by the year they were born, researchers can gain a good understanding of the difference that age creates. It also becomes easier to study the effects of environment and socioeconomic events on the development of those interests. It’s important to note that while there isn’t a concrete difference between those born in December of 1996 and those born in January of 1997, the sole use of generational divides is to work as a tool that makes research easier.

How does Gen Z view politics?

When it comes to politics, there is a vast variety of issues that people bring to the table. Every person has different views on each issue, and sometimes they don’t have much care toward certain issues. So, while each individual member of Gen Z has unique perspectives and might not care for some issues, it’s important to compare and contrast Gen Z’s overall views to those of other generations to understand how they may vote and what they do care about.

According to a poll conducted by CIRCLE, a large percent of Gen Z ranked inflation, abortion, jobs, and climate change as their top three political priorities. They were also more likely than to rank gun violence and racism as priorities compared to millennials.

Gen Z on the Economy

The economy is an issue that’ll always lead voters to the ballot. Hot topics have been inflation, cost of living, the job market, and, in relation to Gen Z, student loan debt.

Relieving student loan debt has been a long-going debate with Biden being a vocal advocate for it. The average Gen Z college graduate has $24,473 in student loan debt, and loans can have interest rates as high as 8%. There are other issues that amplify the burden of student debt, such as the increasing cost of living and difficulty to find a job. Inflation also adds to the problem; 43% of Gen Z admitted that inflation has made it harder to pay off debts. The number of jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher has also increased, and the jobs that don’t require one typically can’t support a middle-class lifestyle, according to Forbes.

There’s a stereotype of Gen Z adults not wanting to work, but Gen Z has many rebuttals to this argument. On one hand, many members of Gen Z bring up how draining some workplaces can be and how low wages don’t justify the efforts or effects. On the other hand, members of Gen Z argue that they do want to work, but finding a job is becoming increasingly difficult.

According to a Time article, 52% of bachelor degree holders went through an interview process for a job but didn’t receive an offer afterward. The process of hiring new workers has also become the longest it's ever been, taking a company 44 days to hire a single worker. There are also companies that list “ghost jobs,” where they’ll post that they’re hiring but never fill the position, which many Gen Zers have taken to the internet to speak about. Even when employment isn’t an issue, workplace misconducts still are. About 52% of employees faced some form of workplace harassment or misconduct in 2023.

An anonymous Gen Z student gave some insight on their experience with workplace harassment and abuse. The student worked at a chain fast food restaurant, a typical workplace for a high school student looking for quick money and work experience. Fast food jobs are also known for how draining they can be and bad work environments. They alleged that they would be left with more work because their managers would go out to party, leaving work early, or would “relax” on the clock. After their first week on the job, they were sometimes given 8 hour shifts on a weekday, which is double the maximum hours a student under 18 can work on a school day in California. At one point, they faced harassment from an older employee, one who was hired through their friendship with the manager. They also faced an injury in the workplace. When both the process of getting a job and the experience of having one become more stressful than necessary, it’s easy to understand why someone might not “want to work,” or at the very least complain. At the end of the day, many people have felt exhausted by the job market, and whether that exhaustion is valid or to be expected is a debate for another time.

Gen Z on Climate Change

In a 2021 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 67% of Gen Z thinks climate change should be a top priority and 32% have taken personal action to address climate change. The participants answered a few more questions on their activity concerning climate change in the past few weeks prior to the survey. 67% of Gen z said they talked about addressing climate change at least 1-2 times, 56% saw content relating to climate change on social media, and 45% engaged with that content. These statistics indicate not only a growing rise in a concern of the effects of climate change, but a generation who’s willing to address that concern and fight for solutions. It’s  very clear that Gen Z is the most active and most concerned when it comes to climate change.

69% of Gen Z say they felt anxious about the future due to the climate crisis the last time they saw content discussing it. Climate anxiety seems to be common within Generation Z, with how rapidly climate change is affecting the world and how close-hitting the effects are to home. Even here in San Diego county, many community members have faced adversity in the past years due to intensified natural disasters and/or harshening weather patterns. Just this year, major flooding led to an estimated $31 million in public infrastructure damage, more than 1,000 displaced homes, and many depending on emergency or welfare services. The storm is referred to as a “thousand-year storm.” A thousand-year storm, or a thousand-year flood, means “a flood of that magnitude (or greater) has a 1 in 1,000(0.1%) chance of occurring in any given year.”

Danya Alazzawi is a student in East County who’s heading to UCSD next year as an environmental science major; she’s also doing research with faculty at SDSU and ran a “Save he Planet” club in high school. Within her experience, Gen Z seems to be the generation that has a stronger belief in climate change and actively tries to be more sustainable. She’s noticed that the older people in her life, such as teachers or parents, aren’t as involved or impassioned by climate activism. They don’t actively take steps in order to be more sustainable the same way Gen Z does. As of now, she doesn’t see climate change being prioritized in politics as many of those who care about the climate aren’t able to vote yet, but she has hope that as Gen Z starts voting, climate change will be a more influential topic to focus on in elections and politics.

Gen Z on Abortion

A survey conducted in 2024 by the Pew Research Center shows that 76% of those ages 18-29, the older end of Gen Z and a few millennials, agree that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. They also found that those with higher education levels are more likely to be in favor of abortion being legal, and Gen Z is becoming one of the most educated generations in the states. Those who are atheist also are more likely to think abortion should be legal in comparison to Christians(both Catholic and Protestant), and Gen Z is also a generation that’s become more religiously unaffiliated. More importantly, 42% of Gen Z say that they wouldn’t vote for a candidate who doesn’t share their view on abortion, the highest rate among the generations. This raises concerns for political candidates who may be pro-life, as Gen Z feels more strongly about their pro-choice stance than any other generation.

Gun Violence

A “US Youth Attitudes on Guns” report stated that “74% of US youth(ages 14 to 30) agree that gun violence is a problem.” Gen Z is known as the generation with the universal experience of active shooter drills and lockdowns. Every year, schools all around the nation scramble for new safety mechanisms and procedures. As a Gen Z youth myself, I’ve done school shooter drills from my first grade of elementary school to my senior year of high school. About 3 in 10 Gen Zers have experienced gun violence once in their lifetime, and 1 in 4 have experienced an active shooter lockdown. Many Gen Zers have a real fear of gun violence, especially school shootings. Parents also have a fear for their children’s safety in schools; 69% are at least somewhat worried about school shootings.

When it comes to gun laws, approximately 62% of Gen Z adults agree that they should be more strict. 59% of Gen Zers under 18 also agree. Overall, with Gen Z, many lean toward more strict gun control. Gen Z adults are also the generation with the lowest gun ownership rate, with 21%, 12-16% lower than the other generations.

The LGBTQ+ Community

A Gallup poll conducted in 2023 showed that 22% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+, the most common identity being Bisexual. Megan Beckes is a bisexual non-binary student who grew up in East County and is heading to CSU Long Beach for environmental science. From their point of view, there are “ups and downs'' with Gen Z’s support for the LGBTQ+ community. On one hand, they’re “glad that there’s a lot of resources now…that we didn’t have for past generations,” but they feel that there’s still a heavy stigma attached to being LGBTQ+. An example they brought up is the “GSA kid.” GSA stands for “Gay-Straight Alliance'' and it’s a club many high schools offer that’s intended to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies. The stereotype is a joke that's gone around the internet that depicts kids in GSA clubs as making their sexuality and/or gender “their entire personality,” excluding those who don’t agree with them, and flamboyant. Beckes states that due to stereotypes like these, it’s difficult to want to utilize the resources made for LGBTQ+ kids.

Regardless, they realize how much more open this generation is to LGBTQ+ people compared to those in last generations who felt they needed to “hide away who they are.” Statistically speaking, Gen Z is more accepting towards LGBTQ+ people. Gen Z is more accepting of the idea of gender not being binary, with 59% of them agreeing that there should be options besides “man” and “woman” on forms and such. They’re also more accepting of same-sex relationships and non-heterosexual people. Only 15% of Gen Z finds a problem with same-sex marriage.

They also recognize how LGBTQ+ issues have become more of a political priority for Gen Z compared to prior generations. While Gen Z has become more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and equality, there's still “a good amount of passionate religious and moral opposition,” as Beckes put it, which only motivates Gen Z allies and LGBTQ+ members to be more politically involved and defend their community. Another concern they hold is those in office. They felt that since many elected officials are older, and since most of those who are voting are older, it’s easier and more beneficial to appeal to a conservative, anti-LGBTQ+ platform. They hold hope for change as more of Gen Z becomes of voting age and even of age to run for office.

Political Parties

The party system in the US has remained a two-party system since its beginning, shifting from federalists and anti-federalists to democrats and republicans. As the presidential election gets closer, concerns about the two parties, their efficiency, and their candidates have risen. Many are unsatisfied with both sides and both Trump and Biden.

A student at CSU San Marcos offered her point of view. Angie is a creative arts major and has always been involved in politics; she grew up in Harlem, New York, but has lived in East County and San Diego county since high school. She cites her upbringing and Latin family for her political activism.

Angie, and her peers, express deep disappointment with both political parties. She’s frustrated with the limited two-party system the US has long held. She argued that both the political parties, democrat and republican, work in favor of pre-established systems such as capitalism and white supremacy. She also believes that Gen Z can enact a real change. In her words, “we are living in the result of past and ongoing war, slavery, police brutality, total economic collapse, rise of harmful technology, and fascism.” She believes all of this will unite Gen Z voters and motivate them to push for a bigger change.

When asked about the rise of independent voters, Angie fully believes that Gen Z is a large part of that rise. She agrees with her peers that neither political party is listening to younger constituents. She mentions specific issues that Gen Z has advocated for; abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights and protections, less government funding and weapons to Israel, and a ceasefire in Palestine. Gen Z has been a vocal advocate for these ideals, but many political parties are “tuning out these voices.”

Gen Z’s current impact on voting

Gen Z is a generation that’s defied trends. Typically, youth voter turnout in midterms are very low, ranging from 20-25%, but in 2018, youth voter turnout reached a high of 35.6% with Gen Z voters. In the 2022 midterms, youth turnout was 31.2%. In California, youth turnout was 38.1% in 2018 and 34.1% in 2022. These numbers support the stance that Gen Z is a far more politically inclined generation, as they’re already taking advantage of their rights far more than previous generations. Gen Z also made a difference in the 2020 presidential election. 59% of voters who were 18-29 years old voted for Biden, 4-11% higher than any other age group. Gen Z will continue making up a larger portion of voters too as more of them become 18; it’s estimated that 41 million Gen Zers will be able to vote in this year’s election. Not only that, but 50% of Gen Z adults tried to get other Gen Zers to vote in 2020, and political involvement overall has gone up since 2018 in ways such as donating, volunteering, and protesting.

There has been a rise in independent voters, and Gen Z is definitely part of that movement. As of last year, 51% of registered voters consider themselves independent, which is the highest recorded by Gallup’s poll that’s been conducted since 2004. Within Gen Z, 51% of teens and 43% of adults don’t identify with either party. Gen Z adults(and Millenials) are also the least likely to identify with the Republican Party(21%).

Why it’s important for Gen Z to vote

Gen Z is a unique generation. Their beliefs, activism, and voting behaviors have caused a shift in politics, and as they grow older, this shift will continue to grow with them. As with any generation in a democracy, voting is Gen Z’s greatest tool for representation. It’s the most accessible way to get their views advocated for in office. What makes it an even more necessary tool for this generation is the disconnect between those in office and their Gen Z constituents. This disconnect is seen not only in beliefs and priorities, but in demographics and identities.

Although congress has progressively become more diverse, some demographics are still disproportionate when it comes to representing Gen Z and the overall population. According to the Pew Research Center, the 118th Congress of the US has 133 non-white representatives out of 535, so about 25% of Congress identify as non-white and/or Hispanic. If we compare this to data from the US census, non-White and Hispanic citizens are still being underrepresented because they make up 41.6% of the nation but only a quarter of Congress. What makes Gen Z unique is the fact that it’s a generation that’s more diverse than its preceding generations. This means that while 41.6% of the US population is not White, 48% of Gen Z is not racially White. There’s an even larger gap when it comes to Hispanic Gen Zers and their representation. 10% of congress identities as Hispanic, but 1 in 4 Gen Z identify as Hispanic. Gen Z is also becoming a less religious generation, with 34% identifying as non-religious, but Congress is nearly 90% Christian, which is not only disproportionate to Gen Z(56% Christian) but to the general population(66% Christian). Women are also vastly underrepresented in congress(28%), which happens to be an all time high. Another vast disconnect is immigrants. 3% of Congress is made of immigrants, but about 22% of Gen Z are immigrants or come from immigrant families.

While demographic representation is important, even more significant in politics is representation in beliefs, and Gen Z still lacks that within Congress. Many of Gen Z’s key issues go unheard by Congressional officials, not only due to different beliefs, but different upbringings, ages, identities, and environments. A lot of Gen Zers feel as if their priorities aren’t being discussed fairly enough and that officials are focusing more on things that will give them political gain, such as false promises or appealing to an older audience.

A Local Perspective

Charles Tyler, an Advanced Placement(AP) US Government and Politics teacher at Steele Canyon High School, took the time to share some thoughts on younger generations voting and their impact. Through his years of teaching, he’s found that high school civics courses give students a good basic understanding of US government and voting, but a student’s own experiences also impact their understanding and perspective. He also stated that because of the education that children are given, it gives them more awareness of issues that they would otherwise not be aware of. It gives them exposure to different perspectives, experiences, identities, and opinions. Tyler has also found that social media has been a detriment to the younger generations. He argued that it gives teenagers little consistency, especially since they’re being exposed to “such a vast group of authors,” some of which are unreliable or biased. He says that it acts as a distraction and can make it difficult for candidates to reach out to voters.

Tyler views the current economic situation as a key factor of the younger generation’s realization that they can’t “sit on the sidelines” and let older generations, who are typically better off, make decisions for them. He cited economic factors such as equal pay, access to jobs, and student loans as factors that are “driving gen z to the ballots to represent their issues.” He does believe that voter turnout for Gen Z will continue to increase, but is concerned for the next election. He doesn’t think that a Biden and Trump rematch will motivate younger people to vote as neither candidate is necessarily enticing for the younger generations. He’s concerned that the enthusiasm we saw in past elections with younger people won’t be maintained if “they feel like it’s just a repeat.”

When asked about the movement to raise the voting age, Tyler saw it as mostly a political tool that parties use to benefit them. He gave the example of the Republican party, whos’ voters are mostly older. He explained that the party leaders understand that younger voters tend to be more liberal, especially when they’re college-educated, so he views their agenda to raise the voting age to be a political move to get more votes for them. He doesn’t find it to be something related to strengthening or weakening democracy, but argues that participating in local elections plays a key role in democracy. Tyler stated that with the way our American government system works, local and state level decisions have a greater impact on our lives. As the students of Tyler are well aware, the president, who’s election usually garners the biggest turnout, isn’t the one responsible for making law, but is instead responsible for enforcing law and being the head of the bureaucracy. With this information, it would make more sense as to why many people would agree with Tyler when he says state and local elections have a more direct impact. He encourages not only young people, but people of any age, to become more active in their local and state politics and government.

Another teacher at Steele Canyon High School shared his thoughts. Jake Klecko is a new on-site substitute teacher who recently moved to East County from Philadelphia. He’s part of the older end of Gen Z. When asked about how the politics of San Diego contrasts that of Philadelphia, he explained that people in the East spoke about politics more. In his personal experience, people here tend to keep it to themselves to avoid escalation, but he did explain that the voting patterns in San Diego county, to his surprise, are pretty similar to those of Philadelphia.

When it comes to Klecko’s voting record, he’s never encountered any obstacles. He’s found polling locations to be accessible and the process of voting to be fairly simple. When he turned 18, not only did he feel ready to vote, as he was entering a new stage of life with college, moving out, and more independence, he felt motivated to do so. In his words, he “could finally vote, so why not?” He knew that the presidential election was a big one, and it was made even bigger by the candidates, Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. He also cited his parents as a key factor of his motivation.

Klecko doesn’t believe the rest of his generation is as politically involved as one might imagine. He notices a trend of people with very minimal research and insight assuming they’re far more knowledgeable than they are. Klecko shares a similar concern with Tyler; he doesn’t think social media is benefitting this generation’s political involvement. Klecko specifically mentioned the confirmation bias that social media grants people. Confirmation bias is when one only accepts information that already affirms their perspective and rejects information that might contradict their view points. This concern is shared by many people, especially with social media apps that use algorithms to tailor to each user which creates what’s known as an “echochamber.” Since an algorithm tailors to what it perceives a user likes and enjoys, it exclusively shows that user content that they’d agree with, creating a chamber where all of a user’s ideas and interests just echo back to them.

Klecko shares one other perspective with Tyler: “voting small is definitely very important.” He could even argue that they’re more important to participate in as the rules and regulations created by local government has more influence on a person’s “day-to-day life.”

Pre-registering and registering to vote

Pre-registration is for 16-17 year olds who want to complete their voter registration form before being allowed to vote. It makes voting easier when the time comes as someone who is pre-registered at 16 or 17 years old is automatically registered as a voter once they turn 18. The form to pre-register is now available online for eligible teens. This website presents links to register to vote, pre-register, and check your registration status and has nine language options besides English.