Four-times-indicted former president Donald Trump has been successfully selling white Christian nostalgia, racism and xenophobia to his base. However, the Public Religion Research Institute’s massive poll of 6,616 participants suggests that what works with his base might pose an insurmountable problem with Gen Z teens and Gen Z adults (who are younger than 25).

Demographically, this cohort of voters bears little resemblance to Trump’s older, whiter, more religious followers. “In addition to being the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in our nation’s history, Gen Z adults also identify as LGBTQ at much higher rates than older Americans,” the PRRI poll found. “Like millennials, Gen Zers are also less likely than older generations to affiliate with an established religion.”

Those characteristics suggest Gen Z will favor a progressive message that incorporates diversity and opposes government imposition of religious views. Indeed, “Gen Z adults (21%) are less likely than all generational groups except millennials (21%) to identify as Republican.” Though 36 percent of Gen Z adults identify as Democrats, their teenage counterparts are more likely to be independents (51 percent) than older generations.

  • Municipal0379@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I want this to be true with every being of my body. BUT….they’ve been saying this for years about each generation.

    • Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Same. I’m nearly 40, and I’ve been hearing this since before I could vote, and yet the GOP hasn’t been voted out of existence. If it were up to me they’d be purged from every position of power nationwide.

      • hglman@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        There were/are a lot of olds. They have dominated politics for a long time and have also not died due to being the first people to take advantage of modern medicine.

        • Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          first people to take advantage of modern medicine

          I never considered that, and it’s a damn tragedy. We gave the most short-sighted generation the longest lifespan in human history 🤦‍♂️

          • theangryseal@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            I mis led. Made pant tast good. I stop eeting pant win led got took a way.

            Car slow down to. Never drank gas but huf it alot win I was a teenajer. Dint hurt me and I vote so thare.

        • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          There were/are a lot of olds. They have dominated politics for a long time and have also not died

          I keep thinking Covid was a missed opportunity.

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        And instead what we got is the Democrat party moving to the right. Because as it turns out, procorporate trash would rather lose to fascists than compromise with leftists.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Republicans are doing a lot to hold on to power. There’s multiple states where they control the courts and legislature but can’t win a statewide office to save their life anymore. Which brings obvious questions about what the hell kind of elections they’re running. It’s also why they’re pushing for a SCOTUS ruling to make legislatures the only state governing body that matters.

      • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Shhh. Democrats can’t keep ignoring issues important to young people if they admit young people vote.

      • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        They were record years for voter turnout in general. So youth turnout, though improved from previous years, was still less than turnout of older generations.

        • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Can’t imagine why that would be. Boomers elected the whitest, oldest, boomerest candidate running in the 2020 primaries. Don’t these young people know a compromise when they see it?? /s

          • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            No, young voters were the strongest supporters of the oldest white guy in the 2020 Democratic primary. He came in second.

    • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      Young people are generally far less likely to vote, so which way they vote is somewhat irrelevant.

        • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Headline aside, 28% turnout for genz vs 23% for millenials, genx, and boomers in their respective first midterms is not going to swing an election where current boomers turn out 70% and genx turn out 60.

          • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            But they did swing the 2022 midterms.

            https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/analyses/the-2022-midterm-elections-what-the-historical-data-suggest

            In the 22 midterm elections from 1934 -2018, the President’s party has averaged a loss of 28 House seats and four Senate seats.

            In 2022 the Democratic party only lost 7 House seats and gained a Senate seat.

            Leading into the election polli g and pundits predicted a decisive win for Republicans, and the unprecedented youth the out by Gen Z is credited as being a difference maker in the Democratic party outperforming expectations.

            It would be foolish to write off Gen Z in 2024 by attributing to them the preceding generations’ (including mine, I’m Gen X) participation at matching ages.

            • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              I feel like the 2022 turnout is more down to the unique conditions and issues, across the age spectrum - especially Dobbs and election lies - than to anything specific to 20-year-olds. 28% turnout still means that the vast majority of GenZ can’t be bothered.

              I mean, the handful of GenZ that have reached adulthood do seem marginally more active than other post-war cohorts, but they aren’t overthrowing historic voting trends. Pinning hopes for future political outcomes on them is as foolish as pinning the future of US democracy to black voters, or hispanic voters or any other minority/niche population, but media love doing just that. Just try googling “black women save democracy.”

              • octopus_ink@lemmy.ml
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                10 months ago

                Well fuck it, let’s ignore the last two elections they influenced and give up on them then.

                Or, I dunno,

                So it be smart to go listen to try and not only keep them at the table, to offer more chairs too.

                • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                  10 months ago

                  No way buddy if they’re not showing up for the whitest, oldest, boomerest strike blocking genocide supporting procorporate trash candidate there’s literally no pleasing them. These damn 40 year old kids don’t know a compromise when they see it! /s

              • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                I’m not saying to pin all hopes on the one generation. I’m saying don’t write them off as disengaged non-voters when they’ve already shown a higher participation rate than their predecessors at their current age.

    • conorm@feddit.uk
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      10 months ago

      “they” are the same people who control politics and have ensured that the balance isn’t disrupted, please grow to realise this, it is not natural for humans to be divided down the middle over how to follow natural law

      • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        What the fuck are you going on about? Also they in fucken qoutes, smells like 4Chan JQ trite. Also natural law? Like fucken gravity, or are ya vague posten about trans folks. Ya know what it doesnt matter, your entire comment read like a damned dog whistle and I am satisfied pointen it out.

        If ya can give a reasonable explanation please do. If not piss off.

        • conorm@feddit.uk
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          10 months ago

          stop using full grammar when you can’t even type correctly half the time, you need to establish a firm grasp upon the logic with which the world exists in to understand that most things pushed nowadays aren’t correct, i suggest you exercise your mind by means of theorising about concepts rather than jumping upon a wish to “see sources”, because the sources are invented by those who want to keep you from your own mind :)

          • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            I have never seen someone give off stronger sovereign citizen vibes without specifically mentioning “traveling not driving” or admiralty law. If you’re trolling, well done.

            • conorm@feddit.uk
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              10 months ago

              irrelevant comment, it usually is you clusterfucked anti-religion people who turn out whining harder than i’ve ever seen one of my own do

          • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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            10 months ago

            Its called phonetic writing ya shitstain, a concept pioneered by Samuel Clemens. Also way to fucken go with dodgen the fucken question, maybe if you read a little you wouldnt be an insufferable cur, and this is commin from an Inland Imperial Redneck.

            • conorm@feddit.uk
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              10 months ago

              it’s actually called spelling words incorrectly, rant when you can spell right lol

              • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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                10 months ago

                I can spell “correctly” if I want, I choose not to. But then again you sound like someone who gets pissy that I spell and say aluminum and not aliminium even though I aint a fucking Saxon.

                But that is all irrelevant, you are choosing to not interact with any of my points due to a thin veneer of classism. All cause I choose to spell phonetically. Or in other words, Ya done did what I expected boy.

                But I can practically smell thine weakness through your comments. And allfather willing I hope you can hike up thine fucking panties and respond properly, stop being a gormless cowardly bitch.

                • conorm@feddit.uk
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                  10 months ago

                  i’m also not english, i’m irish by family, culture, ethnicity, language, and self-declaration, thankfully i’m not a putrid american and i can even speak the languages i do in the correct manner lol, please do come back to me when you have a valid point to make though, whenever or if-ever that should be :)

                  • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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                    10 months ago

                    Wow a Irish person who is as bad a fucken Saxon thats a fucken new one. But I digress, you continue to avoid my original fucken question of what the fuck you mean, but y’know what I couldnt care less. Also real fucken rich calling other folks bad at writing when you seem to be only capable of writing with commas. Are you alergic to periods or something?

                    And finally, as a son of Stewart and a Mac An Ultaigh. You are pathetic excuse for a Gael.