One of the most closely watched demographic groups in this year’s presidential election is younger voters.
Considering how close the election is at this point, members of what’s known as Generation Z could make a significant difference in the race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
After President Joe Biden lagged with younger voters for most the year, most public polling shows Harris is starting to take command of that group. But as seen through conversations with four high school seniors from MICDS in Ladue, Generation Z can’t necessarily be stuffed into tidy ideological boxes.
The students — Alyssa Harris of Florissant, Zach Krivonak of Clayton, Reagan Hamilton of St. Charles and Claire Giokas of Des Peres — said that they’re approaching the upcoming election with a mixture of apprehension and hope.
They were also relieved that they’re not getting a rematch of the 2020 presidential race between Trump and Biden.
But Giokas said the unprecedented way in which the Harris-Trump matchup came about not only brought some excitement but also sadness.
“I think that Kamala is definitely the stronger pick. She's younger, she brings a new perspective, and I think that he was really facing issues with being older,” Giokas said. “But at the same time, he's done a lot for this nation and Democratic Party in general. So it was a bit of a bittersweet moment, and also a relief, that we have a stronger candidate going into 2024.”
Among other things, the four students say they want to see how a potential Harris or Trump presidency will tackle foreign policy challenges and the cost of higher education. Harris in particular is concerned about the cost of consumer goods and the future of abortion rights.
“With all the inflation, I feel like things are barely affordable anymore,” Harris said. “I go to Target and I spend like $30 on three things now. I feel like it's kind of getting out of control. But I also definitely want to see more done with women's rights. I want to see how they're going to handle the topic of abortion. I want to see how they're going to handle things like the pay gap that continues for women and are still hardships for women in this country.”
Krivonak cited his exasperation after a deadly school shooting occurred Wednesday in Georgia.
“Yet another mass shooting in a high school, just like this one,” Krivonak said. “It has to end, and something has to be done. Because it's not OK for people to go to school and other places in public worried about whether or not they'll even go home.”
Generational experience differences
There is a cottage industry of analysis around the differences between Millennials and Generation Z. The two generations have a lot in common particularly with how traumatic events shaped our perception about government and politics.
Millennials watched in horror as the two shooters at Columbine High School provoked a nationwide sense of vulnerability. And they also saw how the 9/11 attacks and the recession in 2008 shattered the facade that suggested a post-Cold War life would endure without war or hardship.
But there is a huge difference between coming of age as a millennial and as a member of Generation Z: While millennials could cope with the world changing through familial and social networks, Hamilton spent the first part of her teenage years wading through a deadly pandemic in relative isolation — and in a highly contentious political environment.
“I think it's sort of a marker of before COVID and after COVID. And how people in our country sort of deal with politics,” Hamilton said. “And the way in which people react to hearing differing opinions, and in having these issues, and sort of having everything be so politicized and things that necessarily, quite frankly, don't need to be.”
The students were asked about a theory about their relief over Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race: Since Biden and Trump served during the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps their continued presence in political life conjured up memories of a difficult and divisive time period?
This isn’t a perfect theory. Harris is Biden’s vice president, and there’s polling suggesting that Trump may win support from younger voters, particularly younger men. But it wasn't dismissed out of hand by the MICDS students.
“I think the country just wants a change, and I think a lot of that's to do with the pandemic,” Krivonak said. “But I remember telling my dad before Biden dropped out: ‘You know, whichever party can act more like the one that will bring change.’ And at the time, that seemed like Trump, but now I think it's Harris. Whichever one can do that, I think will win the election.”
Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, Harris said the political environment needs to change.
“I feel like people are definitely afraid of what will happen in this election, because they are scared of how people will act based on who wins and who loses,” Harris said. “And I think that it would be a good thing if we could kind of move past that and be able to agree to disagree.”
Editor’s note: Jason Rosenbaum is an older millennial.
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