A New Age of Political Pessimism

Caught between distrust and a desire for change, Gen Z's politics are not always predictable

Introduction from Daniel Cox:

I’m excited to have Rachel Janfaza guest post for American Storylines. Janfaza is a writer and author of The Up and Up, a fantastic newsletter that is a must-read for anyone interested in better understanding Gen Z. Her interviews with young adults continually challenge me to update my thinking about this dynamic and influential generation.

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Born into economic uncertainty and political chaos, the youngest members of Generation Z are – on net – skeptical and distrusting of authority.

Some of their criticism is warranted. Born just before or just after 9/11 into a world that was never the same as it was before, members of Gen Z have grown up amid one crisis to the next, most recently the Covid-19 pandemic, which kept young people isolated at home during some of their most formative years. Meanwhile, they watched as adult leaders struggled to control a global pandemic that turned the world on its head and altered their daily lives.

Couple that with an unprecedented 2024 election cycle where – on one side – a former president and convicted felon was running for office – while on the other – an aging president attempted to conceal his decline, only to step aside just over 100 days before the election, handing over the baton to his vice president. . . These were unprecedented times.

I recently asked a group of Gen Z voters from across the country what the one thing is that they wish older generations better understood about the political system they’ve inherited. Their replies were bleak and can be summarized by a statement Nivriti, a 20-year-old student, shared in a March virtual listening session: “The adults don’t have it all together, and they don’t have my back.”

Nivriti, an independent who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, conceded: “I can’t help but feel like we can do better.”

As a journalist and strategist focused on youth culture and politics, I’ve traveled the country and spoken to hundreds of young people in 1:1 interviews and listening sessions. And while this generation is certainly not monolithic, expressing a diverse range of political views – on the whole – perhaps due to rapid technological change or a lack of socialization, they do not respect traditional institutions or processes.

As part of that same recent reality check with young Americans, I asked for their current thoughts on both political parties. I heard that Democrats were “sellouts” characterized by “inadequate leadership,” while Republicans, also “sellouts,” are “corrupt,” “divided,” and “anti-democratic.” Their vision of our political leaders is bleak.

And who can blame them? While the pandemic didn’t have to be political, it was. And today’s youngest citizens, then school-aged children, became guinea pigs in a charged debate that pitted Americans against one another. The rhetoric cultivated during that time frame continues to shape U.S. politics today. The way that era in American history was handled is already shaping the political views of this country’s youngest citizens. The result: a cynical generation that’s fed up with the status quo. Wary of traditional institutions, some say they want to burn it all down – but more often, members of this generation are left with a question mark about what the future should look like.

When asked in a check-in with my Gen Z network what they’d like to tell the next generation of voters about this moment in U.S. history, one 17-year-old from Nevada replied: “This is the most suspicious I’ve ever been. Read between the lines before voting next time.”

Questioning the current state of U.S. affairs, I hear a pervasive nostalgia for a time period today’s youngest citizens never knew. In that same listening session, Jesse, 29 (so a young millennial) from Kansas City, Missouri, said that while he believes in the American Dream, “it’s just a lot harder now than it was 40 years ago to achieve.” He’s not alone. “Our economy is not the same as it was in decades past. We do not have access to the same things in the same way,” a 25-year-old from Chandler, Arizona, shared in a check-in.

Meanwhile, Gen Z has grown up watching a constant stream of news unfold in real time through their phone screens, which both makes them feel closer in proximity to global suffering and breaks down barriers between young people and political leaders. While past generations may have felt a degree of separation from elected officials, today’s youngest voters can watch politicians’ moment-by-moment actions and send a direct message, or post directly at them, to share their discontent.

And yet – while this generation may be less trusting, they are not completely giving up on the institutions they readily critique. While many do not trust older leaders to solve today’s problems, they see their generation ready to step up. A 29-year-old in Brooklyn, New York, said that while older generations’ “time has come to an end,” a 22-year-old from Rhode Island suggested that “electing young people” is a step forward. So far, at least three Gen Z candidates are running for Congress this cycle, and there are plenty of young elected officials in state legislatures or local governing bodies across the country.

For his part, Luc, a 22-year-old in Virginia, described this moment in time as a critical juncture between hope and despair. “I’d tell future voters that this was a moment of quiet unraveling, where institutions felt fragile, leadership felt small, and people were more divided than ever. But it was also a moment full of possibility, if you were willing to tune out the noise and do the work to build something better.”