Gen Z's Involvement in Politics
Generation Z is the most diverse, activism-oriented generation to date. Even though most of us aren’t of legal voting age yet, we still find ways to change the course of campaigns and elections. Our generation has influenced laws and decisions ranging from gun laws to LGBTQIA+ rights to state and national legislation.
Gen Z is driven by anti-Trump ideologies. While approximately half of all registered voters support the former president, around two-thirds of Gen Z disapprove of his performance in office. When a 2019 poll asked members of Gen Z about the number one problem facing our country, the most common answer was Donald Trump. Even though our generation was twice as likely to vote for Biden as they were for Trump, most voted for the current president out of their hatred for Trump. Gen Z’s opinion on current events and the state of the U.S. also widely differs from other generations. The generation feels let down by the United States government. Around 70% of Gen Zers believe that the government should be doing more to help their people to influence positive social change.
The issues that are important to Gen Z are also largely different than the issues that other generations consider important. For example, the top three most important issues to Gen Z voters are the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare policies, and the eradication of racial inequity and systematic racism. At the very bottom of Gen Z’s list are federal budget deficiencies, foreign policy, and Supreme Court appointments. These are three issues that older generations, such as Baby Boomers and Generation X, consider to be the most important problems for the president to tackle.
Gen Z has been raised in a time of monumental political and social change. Most of us are unable to recall a time before the change began. From an early age, we have educated ourselves on the importance of racial and ethnic diversity, as well as gender equality. We have taught ourselves and each other to stand up for what we know to be right. As a result, our generation is the most diverse generation to date. 35% of Gen Z states that they know somebody who uses gender-neutral pronouns. This is a significantly higher number than any other generation. 62% of our generation understands the need for diversity and recognizes its positive impact on society. Gen Z is comfortable with pushing cultural norms and having difficult conversations to positively influence change.
Many Gen Zer’s use platforms like Instagram and Snapchat to stay up to date on current events.
One reason why Generation Z is so involved with activism is social media. For many members of the generation, apps like Instagram and Snapchat serve as easy ways to educate themselves and others about current events, human rights, and public policy. Although social media is not a substitution for a reliable news source, it does help to spread information to a large number of people. Social media is especially useful to those whose political beliefs do not necessarily conform to those of their family. For example, if someone is raised in a conservative household, they would not know ideals outside of the conservative ideals that they are taught. However, social media would give them access to perspectives that they would not ordinarily have an opportunity to explore.
From protests to voter campaigns to education through social media, Generation Z has and will continue to change the course of politics.
