Some 82 percent of voting-age Gen Z respondents in our The Youth Vote survey told us they'd be voting in the presidential election next month. And most of them have feelings about the way this campaign cycle has gone so far (it has honestly all been a lot). Another group that has plenty on their mind: the 18 percent of young people who will not be voting at all—despite the two main presidential candidates' best efforts.
Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have aggressively leaned into courting Gen Z, from establishing a very active presence on TikTok to hyping up young people in speeches to accepting endorsements from celebrities with young fan bases to appearing on podcasts to diving deep into meme culture. They know what's at stake: a total of 41 million potential votes, enough to swing the entire thing.
Could some holdouts still be convinced to cast a ballot? Maybe. But for the group of 18 to 28 years old we spoke to for this story, their hard nos were set in stone. Many didn't like either candidate. Others felt like they didn't know enough to cast a vote. Quite a few expressed dismay over U.S. involvement in foreign crises. Some were fed up with the entire political system—or worried their votes wouldn't count for much. One just wanted to avoid jury duty.
Here, a handful of members of Gen Z on why they'll be staying away from the polls in 2024. |
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