Abortion, the economy and Gaza: What’s driving Gen Z to the polls

For many members of Gen Z, this is the first presidential election they’ll be voting in. And unlike previous generations and presidential elections, what is driving them to show up to the polls are the issues they’re most passionate about — not necessarily the candidates, former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

A 2022 study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) found that issues like abortion rights, inflation and gun control determine youth voter participation. Over half of the group surveyed said President Biden was “not a factor in their vote” during the 2022 midterms.

“To the extent that candidates want to earn young people’s support, they must reach and communicate with youth about how their policies connect to the concerns that drive youth to the ballot box,” the report found.

Yahoo News spoke to several Gen Z voters across the country about what issues were motivating them to show up to the polls. All of them said they knew who they were going to vote for, but not all of them were necessarily excited about the candidate they chose.

Riley McArdle, 21, a member of the University of Alabama College Republicans group, told Yahoo News he isn’t necessarily "excited” about his decision to vote for Trump for his first presidential election. He said he’s tired of Trump’s rhetoric and was hoping there would be another Republican nominee who “fit my perspective a bit more,” especially when it came to economic issues like the housing crisis.

“I’m in college and obviously thinking about getting a house and whatnot when I’m out of college and starting to afford an actual adult life on my own. Affording that is a big deal to me,” he said.

In 2020, after the death of McArdle’s grandfather, his grandmother struggled to sell their home and then find new affordable housing for herself.

“I don’t want to have to look around and try to buy a house — something in a safe neighborhood with good schools and stuff like that — I don’t want to pay a million dollars,” he said.

Kaleb Sy, a 19-year-old Columbia University student and member of the New York branch of the young voter activist nonprofit DoSomething, was also inspired by other people to shape which issues he’s prioritizing for the election. Growing up in Memphis, Sy said he’s seen firsthand what inflation has done to some families.

“I started looking at [those families] and I started looking at how prices of everyday goods just started to go up — that affects Americans, a lot of Americans,” he said.

“What I’m looking for in the candidates is specifically economic policies — how are we going to tame inflation?” he added.

Both candidates have publicized their plans for dealing with inflation. Trump has vowed that “inflation will vanish completely” if elected, by ending wars abroad, slashing federal spending, cutting regulations and stopping illegal immigration, which he claims is why housing and health care costs are so high. Harris wants to end “price gouging” on groceries, lower health care and energy costs and increase housing supply.

However, some economists believe that both candidates are not addressing the core issues that tend to drive consumer prices up.

“The markets have seen positive growth, [but] what happens on Wall Street doesn’t always translate to Main Street,” Sy continued. “Not all of the problems will be solved in Washington, but how can the federal government help these states as well when it comes to these issues?”

Tatiana Bell, 20, told Yahoo News she’s focused on what the candidates are saying about reproductive rights.

“[Reproductive rights is an issue] for myself and just college students in general,” she said. “The main thing is just people having the opportunity to make a decision for themselves.”

The Center for Reproductive Rights described Florida, where Bell lives, as “hostile” when it comes to its state abortion laws. On Election Day, Florida voters will be able to vote on Amendment 4, which would amend the state constitution to prohibit government interference with the right to an abortion.

Bell, a campus rep for DoSomething, said she’s helped over 400 people register to vote and regularly shares information about candidates’ stances on her social media accounts.

“[The lead-up to the election] has had its stressful moments, just trying to figure out and see what’s going on,” she said. “Overall, I’m happy that I’ve been able to just actively participate in this election season. For me, it starts off with just making an impact on one person, but being able to [reach] so many people via social media or even in-person on campus, it has made such an amazing impact.”

Michael Oved, 20, is also heavily involved with promoting politics and voting to his classmates. He is the president of the Harvard Republican Club and said he’s watched the group grow from a little over 100 students to over 800 since his freshman year — and he believes there’s a clear reason why.

“We choose to bring in speakers that emphasize policy, that emphasize concrete discussions of the issues,” he told Yahoo News. “From what I’ve seen, the most important issue for my contemporaries, for my classmates, has been the economy.”

Oved, who is graduating in May, said the economy is a major concern for him and his friends because of what happens after graduation. While U.S. job growth has increased over the last few years, it was reported that one in three 2023 college graduates didn’t think they could land a full-time job offer, according to a survey from the job listings site Handshake. The Economic Policy Institute found that, as of March, 65% of young college graduates — defined as workers between 21 to 24 years old — are employed.

“[We’re] entering the workforce, [we’re] looking to the future — planning a future — and thinking about different industries,” Oved explained. “The economy is just such a central part of all of our lives, especially most of the youth who are voting for the first time.”

In Los Angeles, 21-year-old Leo Carmona, a Latinx content creator, is looking for more specifics from the candidates on immigration and international relationships — especially when it comes to U.S. involvement in the war in Gaza. He says he’s made his choice, but still wishes both candidates were more specific about their plans to address the issues that matter to him.

“I am looking for a candidate that’s able to address [these issues] head on,” he told Yahoo News. “In my personal opinion, the candidates have a little bit too much PR training and kind of avoid some of the questions and give a very bland or a very short answer.”

This will be the second presidential election Carmona will participate in and he said he’s already noticed one major change among his friends since the 2020 election.

“I feel a lot more reluctance, I truly feel like people are just uncertain of whether they even want to register to vote and who they want to vote for,” he said. “Last election, I felt like a lot of people were on board — my friends were encouraging others to go vote and register to vote. I feel like this [election], it kind of has died down.”