April 11, 2024

If Joe Biden thought canceling student-loan debt would win over young voters in swing states and give him an edge in the 2024 election, it looks like he swung and missed.  Despite forgiving over $130 billion in loans, Gen Z isn't feeling the love. A recent Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found that 43% of Gen Z in swing states feel Biden hasn't done enough to tackle the issue.  To make matters worse, those who are Gen Z seem unaware of Biden's loan policies—42% admitted they hadn't heard much, if anything, about it at all. This could be because most of the debt relief went to older borrowers, not the younger Gen Z crowd who are feeling the sting of an upside-down economy for the very first time.   While the economy still heads up the list of key issues for American voters, student debt relief will remain a prominent issue in the 2024 election.  A recent poll conducted by SocialSphere shows that 70% of Gen Zers think canceling student debt is “very” or “somewhat important” in the election. So, while Biden was, at one time, more popular with Gen Z, multiple polls over the last year show that more and more Gen Zers are supporting Trump this time around. Bottom line: Trump has an opportunity to level out the playing field when it comes to younger voters. Because if Biden thinks Gen Z will support him for a second term, his campaign should think again. 

March 28, 2024

The Gen Z vote is up for grabs.

The gut punches just keep coming for Joe Biden. His job approval numbers are still tanking, and now comes the news that Gen Z, who helped drag him across the finish line four years ago, are bailing on him.   In 2020 Biden carried younger voters by 24 points over Trump, according to exit polls. A Tuft's University Circle study found that Gen Z alone turned as many as four states from red to blue. That was then, this is now: Survey after survey has Biden’s approval among this critical group cratering—over a third of those who backed him last time say they won’t this time. So what’s behind this dramatic swing? Zebra Tattoo Factory partnered with KA Consulting to find out. The answer isn’t exactly a stunner: It’s the economy, Joe. Many young voters surveyed feel their lives have been put on hold due to  the economy and inflation; in particular, high-interest rates are forcing them to put off buying their first home, keeping them living with their parents, or struggling to pay rising rents. Gen Z will cast nearly one in five votes in 2024. Any political campaign that doesn't connect with them on the issues they care about will pay a price.  

January 10, 2024

If Republicans are elephants and Democrats are donkeys, what do you call the generation that doesn’t fit any mold?