Democrats are scrambling to place blame following Donald Trump’s Nov. 2024 victory over Kamala Harris, and data points to a shift to the right among people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s. Gen Z is catching flak — but is it fair?
People on X sure think so, bringing back the age-old human tradition of resenting entire generations. It’s not just politics driving the sentiment, though, it’s the general strange trends seen in zoomers.
ABC news reported that compared to 2020, Trump doubled support from first-time voters. That was bad news for the democrats, as much of Harris’ hopes relied on the millennial and Gen Z vote, who traditionally lean more left than Generation X and Baby Boomers.
Trump made inroads with several demographics, including voters aged 18 to 27. Data from the Associated Press indicated that around half of voters under 30 preferred Harris, which is down on Biden’s numbers from 2020.
CNN reported similar data in its — smaller-scale — exit polling. Citing from over 22,000 voters, it said Harris’ advantage over Trump among the 18 to 19 demographic was 13 points, down from Biden’s 23 points in 2020.
Still, some zoomers were quick to push back on the accusatory tone, pointing to the majority blue turnout. There is truth to this, as Harris won with 55 percent to 42 percent in the age group according to exit poll estimates from Edison Research for the National Election Pool.
Are the kids alright?
Questions about new norms set by Gen Z have been flying around for years, but they’re being referenced again following the lower democratic support in 2024.
There are quite a few accusations in the “Can’t read, can’t write, can’t add, can’t f**k, can’t joke, can’t dance, can’t dress, can’t drink, can’t smoke, can’t not elect a fascist conman,” post. It may be exaggerated, but some have merit.
While the “can’t dress” was flamed as inaccurate, it’s true that Gen Z drink and smoke (cigarettes) less — though some in the replies argued that’s an unobjectionable good thing. It’s also true in a vague sense that Gen Z has less sex than previous generations.
There has been much cultural debate about whether these trends are due to more informed decision-making, health beliefs, and so on, or whether the lesser consumption and sex come down to a looming loneliness epidemic that creates fewer opportunities for good old-fashioned vices. Between five to 15 percent of adolescents are lonely, and those figures are thought to be underestimated.
We also can’t undermine social media’s influence on Gen Z, which is thought to be more impactful than any other demographic because they grew up with technology implemented in every aspect of their lives. The rise of far-right spaces, Joe Rogan-style podcasts, and bots used in campaigns are successfully compelling young men, and the continued push toward anonymous, extreme, communication ignited by viral incendiary content is well documented.
Though you may expect zoomers to be the most computer-literate, and able to spot generative AI, disinformation, and digital propaganda easily, that might not be true. Their attention probably won’t be captured by the same spammy content that grabs your grandma on Facebook, but platforms like X have evolved to reel younger people in.
Ultimately, relying on young people to fix the world’s problems has turned out to be a bad tactic, even if the broad strokes of media representation and Hollywood paint a far more left-wing picture of American youth. The raw data shows Democrats must take a hard look at the failure to mobilize Gen Z.