The Enlightenment

Photo by adamkaz/iStock

Generation Z, the youngest voting generation, is suffering a political crisis.

The generation, comprised of those born in 1995 or later, is nowhere to be found in the halls of power of the United States. The President is the oldest President in US history at 80 years old. The average age of a member of our two chambers of our legislature, the Senate and Congress, are not much better at 64 and 58 years, respectively.

Likewise, Gen Z is frustrated that their issues are not getting addressed. Gun control, student debt, climate change, and LGBT issues are some of the top issues for young people and at the same time some of the same issues that get the least attention. That may be why young people have soured on President Biden, with his approval rating among those aged 18-29 standing at 36%.

It is for these reasons that young people feel that politics is a dead end pursuit, and as such are increasingly checking out to focus on work, hobbies, and relationships. But I think there is still hope yet. I believe, if they can mobilize themselves, Gen Z can be one of the most powerful forces in today’s emerging political landscape.

Some Gen Zers question whether there is any point at all to being politically engaged. Many Gen Zers believe that politics does not impact them at all. This sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth: politicians impact all areas of young people’s lives at every level of government. 

Local politicians control how much housing is built and where and set minimum wage ordinances, state politicians control funding for public colleges, and federal officials control everything for student loan repayment interest to whether or not new gas pipelines get approved. Politicians in every office impact issues important to the generation, and as such there is a great incentive to control how these political processes play out.

There is also a concern over the aforementioned age of the current stock of politicians. Old politicians cannot and will not understand or empathize with the issues of young people, so why bother?

This neglects to realize that many politicians are in fact younger. The average age of Congress has declined 4 years in the past election. Furthermore, older politicians have demonstrated a care for the issues of young people. For example, 77-year-old Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey re-introduced a sweeping climate change law a few months ago alongside his much younger colleague Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Congress.

But why lift a finger for old geezers? Why work for a system full of people that haven’t done anything for us? Many Gen Zers feel spite about working with a crop of politicians they allege haven’t done anything for them.

There is one problem: it simply is not true. In 2020, after record levels of turnout, the Biden administration did quite a lot for young folks. The administration passed a gun control bill, the first one in a long time, passed the largest climate change investment in history, and enacted multiple avenues for reducing student debt. The election is a case study in how young people can flex their muscle and extract gains in return.

I ask instead: why doesn’t Gen Z flex that muscle more? Gen Z asks politicians to do everything for them. But what has Gen Z done for politicians? They don’t volunteer, they don’t call, they don’t read, and in many cases they don’t vote. They don’t make their voices heard. How are politicians supposed to know what young people want, if they don’t say? What incentive does any politician have for supporting a voting bloc that does not support them?

I am told, finally, that engaging in the political process is tiresome. There is not enough time. Anecdotal evidence, buttressed by empirical findings, suggest there is enough time. If Gen Z has the time and energy to spend, on average, 7 hours a day on their phone, they have enough time to spend 15 minutes a year to vote.

It’s an oversimplification, to be sure. Getting involved is not easy. But this generation cannot simply check out and let outside forces govern their lives. Gen Z has demonstrated they can engage and create the political environment they want. Progress is not always forward, but we can nevertheless live happier lives when working within the political process.

Gen Z is sitting on a hotbed of power and energy. Whether Gen Z will mobilize this energy and mobilize themselves will decide whether this new generation becomes politically dominant or remains politically obscure.