The myth of the apathetic young voter
Data shows Gen Z's political interest has jumped since the Biden era
Gen Z voters are ‘swingy,’ and they’re protesting less. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention to current events or interested in what’s going on politically.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Their “political interest” throughout President Donald Trump’s second term has jumped since President Joe Biden was in office, according to a Morning Consult report from earlier this month.
Both when looking at the share of Gen Z who are “not at all interested” in politics and those who are “extremely” or “very” interested, the data points in the same direction ➡️ young adults are getting MORE interested.
The report, based on Morning Consult Intelligence, compared respondents’ replies from March 2021-2022 to March 2025-2026. They label Gen Z as anyone born from 1997-2012.
According to Morning Consult:
“The share saying they are ‘not at all interested’ in politics fell from 27% to 20%, and those who are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ interested grew from 24% to 33%.”
Beyond a spike in political interest, the issues they’re prioritizing have shifted.
Morning Consult found a six-point jump in Gen Zers focus on economic concerns over the same time period, from 32% to 38% 💸
So what? We know that Gen Z 1.0 and 2.0 have a distinct relationship to politics — and that Gen Z 2.0’s activism looks markedly different than their older siblings. There’s less of it.
(I also joined The Bulwark’s Lauren Egan last week to discuss her reporting on a recent dip in campus protest culture).
But to make it more clear, just because young adults aren’t showing up in the streets like they did for gun safety, the climate, or racial justice — it doesn’t mean they’re disengaged. They haven’t stopped caring about politics. They just stopped performing it. And they’re tuned in, they’re just expressing themselves differently. Part of that’s because when life feels increasingly hard to afford year after year once you hit adulthood, it’s hard to focus on anything but that.
Noteworthy reads
New poll reveals how Trump’s support among young Americans is significantly changing, Stephanie Perry and Marc Trussler for NBC News
Gen Z Is Trading the Neighborhood Bar for the Spin Studio, Oyin Adeoyin for The Wall Street Journal
The new age of performance anxiety, Megan Garber for The Atlantic