Youth Dissonance in Democracy: Are Gen Z Activists Over Everything?

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a new challenger has emerged. Will Gen Z find hope in politics again?

Gen Z is a generation that prides itself on progress and activism. From on-the-ground grassroots advocacy to social media awareness campaigns, Gen Z has already cemented their role within activist spaces.

Despite the gung-ho campaigns and marches fronted by Gen Z, data suggests a waning interest in politics amongst youth. In fact, young voter turnout has been on a steady decline. According to a report done in 2021 by StatsCan, a lack of interest in politics remains one of the most common reasons for not voting amongst 18-24 year old Canadians. 

This revelation may be jarring to some, but for others, it reflects their lived reality. 

Gen Z has developed a nihilistic view of politics. 

The reasons vary, but at the forefront of their disaffection are individual politicians and their policies—or lack thereof. 

We grew up being told we could work our way up the ladder to afford home ownership, parenthood, and other traditional life milestones. By the time the majority of us reached adulthood, we no longer had reason to believe that those goals were attainable. The minimum wage is far lower than liveable for the average Ontarian. Minimum wage was once created with the intent of matching the liveable wage, but has long since strayed from that goal. According to the not-for-profit group Ontario Living Wage Network, in places like the Greater Toronto Area, the liveable wage per hour is almost $10 higher than minimum wage. Meaning minimum wage workers do not have the monetary means to save and scrounge money for a future rainy day fund, let alone a down payment on a house.

Young adulthood is already expensive and difficult to manage during good times. The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting “quiet recession” led to the economy changing in ways Gen Z couldn’t fathom. According to a survey conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2022, a large portion of Gen Z no longer believe they’ll ever be able to own a home, let alone afford to retire. We came of age in times of financial uncertainty and expect the same circumstances to follow us for our entire lives.

Even across a widening political spectrum, most of Gen Z has come to a consensus that politicians are not doing enough to address economic challenges. 

The economy was a large point of contention in the recent United States Presidential Election. While it is a topic that is relevant to all Americans, Gen Z has been especially vocal about the need for a leader who prioritizes fixing the economy.

The American election is important to non-Americans as well. The result of the US election is expected to impact the economies of other nations. Because of the influence that American politics have on the rest of the world, attention turned to a particular presidential candidate to breathe new life into the White House—Kamala Harris.

For some members of Gen Z, Harris became a beacon of renewed hope due to her campaign promises to raise taxes for the wealthy as part of her “Opportunity Economy”—a move that would partially address some of Gen Z’s concerns about finances. 

Gen Z jumped into action as soon as Harris was announced as a candidate. In fact, young voter registration skyrocketed by 700% shortly after Harris was announced as the new Democrat candidate. A lot of Gen Z did not see the futility of political activity outside of protests, boycotts, and campaigns until Harris stepped up to the podium.

Harris’ popularity amongst Gen Z can be partially attributed to TikTok and the ongoing “Kamala is BRAT” trend of the summer or her appearance on well-liked podcast, Call Her Daddy in October. 

Prior to Election Day, half of Gen Z stated they would vote for Harris, while only a third stated they’d vote for Trump in NBC News’ Stay Tuned poll.

The reasons for Trump’s disconnect with the majority of young voters could lie entirely in overlooking issues they feel strongly about.

Much of Trump’s campaign has surrounded topics and issues that are relevant to an older voter base. Harris, on the other hand, has been responsive on both climate change and trans rights, as well as other top concerns for Gen Z voters. 

These issues are directly relevant to the lives of much of Gen Z. A poll conducted by Public Religion Research Institute found that 30% of American Gen Z adults identify as 2SLGBTQ+. Allies and LGBTQ people alike would find anti-trans bills to be reprehensible for a politician to turn a blind eye to. 

Moreover, climate change has already arrived at all of our doorsteps. It is going to disrupt lives and will likely reshape the world as we know it in ways yet to come. A politician who does not view climate change to be a pressing matter cannot be trusted to respond to potentially record-breaking natural disasters in a timely fashion.

Some left-wing youth do not feel any more confident about politicians even with Harris’ candidacy. Common rhetoric amongst young people on social media emphasizes that Harris is just another politician vying for votes and will not remedy the issues within and outside of the United States. They often believe that while she may be better than Trump on many topics, she is not to be looked at as “progressive” for her policies because they are just reaching the bare minimum.

However, these criticisms are not entirely unfounded. Harris has skirted around naming oil and gas companies as culprits in climate change, and has failed to provide gender-affirming care for transgender prisoners. A large number of Gen Z leftists do not find that Harris’ actions align with their personal values. Her time as a prosecutor has revealed her to be carceral in a way that they find to be apprehensive. She has a long track record of mass incarceration, some of which are for nonviolent offences. Gen Z critics also find her stance on Palestine to be problematic, as Harris was extremely late to support a ceasefire in Gaza, only doing so after mounting pressure from the public.

It is clear that Gen Z is not finding sustenance on the half-truths and broken promises of politicians of the past. Gen Z has put their foot down and has demanded that politicians do better and address what is important to them. They are not content with half-jobs done to pacify their demands. They have let it be known that they want politicians to do better.

Gen Z was raised by parents and grandparents who had fought for rights. From 60s civil rights activism, to 70s climate advocacy, to ongoing anti-war efforts, they have grown up knowing the importance of speaking out. Where past generations at times sheepishly accepted the imbalanced “compromises” of politicians, Gen Z has protested and pressured politicians into further action. Gen Z has cemented themselves as being activists first, over everything else.

The United States election proves no different in this trend. The supporters of Harris demanded answers and action beyond what she offered in her campaign.

Where Donald Trump failed, Kamala Harris only partially shined. Whether or not her actions and policies will exceed what is considered to be the bare minimum lay in the strength of her campaign, and what she does while currently as sitting vice president.

In the end it was not enough. While exit polling results are still rolling in, so far Tufts College’s Center for Civic Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) estimates that only 42% of young voters turned up to the polls. This number is a lower turnout than the youth voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election. Tufts College’s CIRCLE also reports, a substantial chunk of young men supported Harris’ opponent, contributing to a landslide victory for Donald Trump. 

Whether or not Gen Z will return back to political nihilism and overall pessimistic attitudes, especially after what for many members were disappointing election results, remains up in the air. The onus lies on politicians to address the issues that matter in a way that works for the people. 

Gen Z, as a collective, has the potential to sway major decisions strongly in one direction. It would be a waste for politicians not to capitalize on the activism-driven mindsets that the generation has internalized. It took just one TikTok video for Harris to stronghold the Gen Z vote. All it requires to reharmonize Gen Z’s opinions of politics is to listen.

Graphics: Khizer Ahmad