Gen Z can’t afford the culture war
Vox · Rachel Janfaza ·
Economic anxiety is reshaping young voters’ politics this midterms.
Conventional wisdom holds that young voters are idealistic and socially progressive dreamers, while older voters are hard-headed, pragmatic, and much more attuned to pocketbook issues.
Conventional wisdom, meet Gen Z. Between 2020 and 2024, voters in this cohort swung right by more than 20 percentage points — but now they’re boomeranging back away from President Donald Trump, mainly over the cost of living and a deep sense of economic anxiety, according to a number of recent surveys of young voters.
“Inflation/prices” is the top concern for voters under 30 in YouGov’s “most important issue” tracker, far above civil rights and civil liberties. The cost of living, corruption, and US involvement in foreign conflict were the top three issues for young Americans 18–29 (who say they have at least a 50-50 chance of voting in the midterm elections) in this fall’s Harvard IOP youth poll, with 65 percent of this cohort saying the cost of living is “extremely important” in determining their midterm vote.