Four-times-indicted former president Donald Trump has been successfully selling white Christian nostalgia, racism and xenophobia to his base. However, the Public Religion Research Institute’s massive poll of 6,616 participants suggests that what works with his base might pose an insurmountable problem with Gen Z teens and Gen Z adults (who are younger than 25).
Demographically, this cohort of voters bears little resemblance to Trump’s older, whiter, more religious followers. “In addition to being the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in our nation’s history, Gen Z adults also identify as LGBTQ at much higher rates than older Americans,” the PRRI poll found. “Like millennials, Gen Zers are also less likely than older generations to affiliate with an established religion.”
Those characteristics suggest Gen Z will favor a progressive message that incorporates diversity and opposes government imposition of religious views. Indeed, “Gen Z adults (21%) are less likely than all generational groups except millennials (21%) to identify as Republican.” Though 36 percent of Gen Z adults identify as Democrats, their teenage counterparts are more likely to be independents (51 percent) than older generations.
The common refrain I hear from older voters is that 16 and 17 year olds age idiots and don’t understand the world. There are a lot of problems with this argument. Among them:
1 or 2 years at that age does not magically result in most people becoming world-wise and informed. Many 16 and 17 year olds have just as good a grasp on voting factors as 18 year olds.
Like anything, perspective, awareness, and seeing both the bigger picture and the nuanced details often comes at very different times for very different people. To disenfranchise all 16 and 17 year olds just because a minority might be immature in grossly unfair.
Plenty of the older people who argue 16/17 year olds are clueless idiots, and the same people who keep voting for objectively horrible politicians, who blindly follow a political party like it’s a sports team, and who vote against their own interests due to gullibly lapping up flagrantly bias and false ‘news’. Their judgement is seriously flawed.
As a Gen-Xer I say let the 16 and 17 year olds vote too. Their voices should be heard.