The majority of Gen Z plans to vote this election season, except for those who say they dislike both candidates. Here are the issues influencing your students’ votes.
Some eight million youth have entered the electorate in 2024, data from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) suggests. This election season’s newest voters are a diverse bunch, too, as nearly half of newly eligible voters are people of color.
Eighty-three percent of Gen Z plan to vote this year, a new survey from the National Society of High School Scholars suggests. Seventy percent of them already know which candidate they’ll vote for. Both male (68%) and female (77%) respondents believe the U.S. is ready for a female president.
One interesting finding is that nearly every Gen Z respondent (90%) believes there should be an age cap for presidential candidates. A quarter of them say 60 is too old to run for president.
Issues at stake
When asked to rank their top concerns this election season, the economy, healthcare, women’s rights and the environment were most commonly named. Here’s how those issues vary in importance by gender:
- Top three issues for women: economy (27%), women’s rights (24%) and healthcare (20%)
- Top three issues for men: economy (47%), healthcare (11%), the environment (10%) and immigration (10%)
Nearly three-fourths of Gen Z say their high school has prepared them to make informed decisions about voting. Nearly 25% of them have participated in voter education initiatives at their school or communities.
DA election coverage
Be sure to check out District Administration’s latest election coverage below:
Predicting what lies ahead—and what doesn’t—for K12 this election
A lot is riding on the 2024 presidential election. In whom should educators instill their trust to ensure K12 education is revered and teachers respected? It’s hard to say.
K12 debuts in vice presidential debate
Their discussions focused primarily on gun violence and what steps needed to be taken to prevent school shootings.