'We're barely scraping by': Gen Z says money matters in US election
22 hours ago
Nathalie Jimenez
BBC News
The US presidential election is just weeks away and one essential voting
bloc is getting a lot of attention from both parties: young voters. But it’s
economic woes – from inflation to housing – that could drive them to the
polls.
It’s Isabella Morris’s first presidential election, and the 21-year-old mum
from Rosenberg, Texas, said she’s listening closely to what both
candidates have to say.
Recently married with a two-year-old, Isabella works part-time to
supplement her husband’s full-time income. She stays at home with her
child while her family rents a small one-bedroom apartment.
The plan seemed solid—two incomes, no mortgage, or daycare costs—but
it’s not enough.
“Our debts are paid off, but we can’t afford any mistakes. We have no
savings, nothing. One job used to be enough to live on, even at a minimum
wage. Now it feels like we’re barely scraping by," she said.
Economic fears about her future will drive her to vote in November, but
when she spoke to the BBC, she was still undecided on which candidate
she would support.
“As these elections draw closer, we cannot possibly fathom a candidate
not addressing the economic crisis right now,” she said.
Isabella is one of 8 million young people who will be voting in a
presidential election for the first time. Comprising about a third of the US
electorate, voters under 35 are being fought over by both parties, and
polls show the economy is their top priority this election season.
Though reproductive rights, the war in Gaza and gun violence have
dominated headlines when it comes to young voters’ policy priorities, 18
to 26-year-olds rank economic growth, income inequality and poverty as
the most important problems facing the country, according to a Gen
Forward Survey conducted by the University of Chicago and released in
September.
That’s in contrast to the 2020 election, when Covid-19, racism, and
healthcare outranked the economy as the main issue driving young voters
to the polls, according to the same survey.
'The situation has degraded'
Isabella’s concerns reflect the broader challenges facing young voters,
who are entering a world of high rents, unaffordable homes and slowing
job creation - not to mention a once-in-a-generation surge in prices,
according to economics TikToker Kyla Scanlon.
Last month, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates for the first time in
more than four years, a decision which could lead to lower borrowing
costs on mortgages, credit cards and saving rates for millions of people.
But it remains to be seen whether the change in rates will change people’s
outlook on the economy.
"The overall situation has degraded," Ms Scanlon, 27, told the BBC, noting
that young people today have it worse than previous generations - even
millennials who entered the workforce after the 2008 financial crisis.
A Gen Z-er herself, Ms Scanlon often turns to TikTok, where she has more
than 180,000 followers, to educate young people about the economy.
People aged 22-24 hold more debt of all kinds – credit cards, car loans
and mortgages – than millennials did at the same age, the credit agency
TransUnion found. And their debt is rising faster than their income.
“There's no beginner mode anymore - the bottom rung of the ladder just
feels completely gone, I think, for most of the generation,” Ms Scanlon
said.
And those fears of being left behind could drive voters to the ballot box,
experts say.
Abby Kiesa, deputy director of the Center for Information and Research on
Civic Learning and Engagement (Circle), told the BBC she expects about
half of young voters to turn out in this election – a similar proportion to
2020, which had the highest turnout in decades and an 11% increase
compared to the presidential election in 2016.
Meanwhile, the 2018 midterms saw a record-breaking turnout among
young voters, according to Circle.
That’s still far below the turnout of other age groups. In 2020, 69% of
eligible Americans aged 35-64 voted, while 74% of voters over the age of
65 went to the polls, according to the US Census. But in an election that
will be won by a razor’s edge, being able to rally a significant percentage
of new voters could help give a candidate the boost they need to win.
Ms Kiesa said focusing on addressing economic hardship will be key if
politicians hope to boost turnout among Gen Z-ers feeling disconnected
from politics.
“For the past three elections, turnout among young voters has been
historic,” she said. “We need candidates who understand, engage, and
speak with them. That’s what has to change.”
Will dollars and cents win votes?
The two presidential nominees - Trump and Harris - have both sharpened
their economic message in recent weeks and stepped up efforts to appeal
to young voters.
Harris has expanded on the Biden administration’s economic initiatives
around student loan forgiveness, consumer pricing and housing
affordability. She’s proposed a $25,000 subsidy for first-time home
buyers and a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborns.
Her campaign has doubled her youth organising staff and invested heavily
in digital ads. She has enjoyed endorsements from high-profile celebrities
including Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, and built momentum by embracing
viral memes about the vice-president on social media. Harris has also
spent the last year touring college campuses in key battleground states.
Meanwhile, Trump has sought to capitalise on economic dissatisfaction
among young people, attacking Harris and Biden’s economic record and
highlighing lower prices on goods under his administration. Both he and
Harris have promised to eliminate tip taxation - a move aimed at the
service industry, which employs millions of young people - and committed
to ending regulatory barriers on cryptocurrency.
The former president has also tried to reach younger voters through social
media, podcasts, and partnerships with influencers. He’s posted TikToks
with influencers like Logan Paul and Adin Ross.
Polls showed Trump made inroads among young voters while he was
running against Biden, who is 81. When Biden was still in the race, he led
Trump by only a few percentage points, and the GenForward survey
showed young people thought Trump handled the economy better than
the Biden administration.
But momentum has shifted back to the much younger Harris.
She now holds a 31-point lead over Trump among likely voters aged 18-
29, according to the Harvard Institute of Politics poll released in late
September.
'We need representation'
Economic woes aren’t just driving people to vote, they’re lighting a fire in
some young people to run for office themselves.
Gabriel Sanchez, 27, a Democratic candidate for the Georgia state
legislature, said he’s running for office to try to help ease the financial
strain on his generation.
As a waiter at a sports bar, he said rent hikes have forced him to move
repeatedly. He is concerned that essentials like stable housing are
becoming a privilege for many young Americans.
“Most of us aren’t able to own a home, afford healthcare or buy the basic
things we need,” Sanchez said in a TikTok posted on his campaign
account.
In May, Sanchez and three other young candidates cruised to victory in
Georgia’s Democratic primary election, an outcome dubbed as Gen Z’s
night in Atlanta.
Sanchez said he believes his economic struggles resonated with voters.
“We’re working hard but not seeing any rewards. This economy isn’t
working for us,” Sanchez said. “We need representation - candidates who
understand what young people are going through.”
But it’s not only Democrats that are luring young candidates.
Wyatt Gable, a 21-year-old in his last year at East Carolina University, won
the Republican primary for North Carolina’s House of Representatives. He
defeated George Cleveland, a 10-term, 85-year-old, incumbent.
If elected in November, Gable will become the youngest person ever to
hold a seat in the state legislature.
As he prepares for the November vote, he said he expects the economy to
be top of mind for young people at the polls this year.
“My generation feels it. Seeing how bad inflation is, and with interest
rates skyrocketing, that's going to be the biggest thing on young people's
minds when they go to the ballot box,” he said.
|
|