America’s youngest voters are far likelier to vote Republican than their older siblings.
Generation Z may be better understood as two distinct sub-generations — divided, in large part, by how they experienced the shock of COVID-19.
The latest iteration of the Yale Youth Poll found extraordinary 18-point partisan gap between younger and older members of Generation Z. When asked whether they’d pick a Democratic or Republican candidate in the midterm elections, voters age 22–29 favored Democrats by 6.4 points, while those age 18–21 favored Republicans by 11.7 points.
Rachel Janfaza — a youth political analyst and writer of The Up and Up, a newsletter about Gen Z — breaks down “Gen Z 1.0” and “Gen Z 2.0” based on how old they were during pandemic lockdowns and the rise of TikTok.
Gen Z 1.0 graduated high school before COVID. They quarantined in college dorms or apartments with friends and came of age during President Trump’s first term — shaped by the Women’s March, gun control rallies, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Gen Z 2.0 was in high school or middle school during lockdowns, isolating at home with family and cut off from peers. The backlash to COVID-era policies pushed many younger voters right. And because they entered adulthood under President Biden, “counter-culture” often meant aligning with MAGA, Janfaza says.
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Author: Marty Kaufmann
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