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By: Cindy Mays, Melanie Phillips, and Grayson Wormser

This election is a pivotal moment in American democracy. One of the major changes we’ve been tracking this season is the makeup of the electorate. This election will see the largest influx in the number of Gen Z voters eligible to vote, a total of 41 million. Given how influential this voting block will be this election cycle, we wanted to dive deep into how Gen Z attitudes may differ from previous generations and the impact that could have on politics in the United States.

YOUNGER GENERATIONS APPEAR MORE ACCEPTING OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE

This year, we’ve extensively studied Americans’ acceptance of political violence at a time when we’ve seen an unprecedented amount of politically motivated violence. Our research highlights a striking trend: younger voters, particularly Gen Z, are far more likely to accept political violence against elected officials compared to older generations.

As of September 2024, over half of Gen Z (56%) find at least one form of violence against an elected official (including forcibly occupying public buildings in protest, physical harm, protesting with weapons outside of their homes, etc) acceptable. In contrast, only 33% of Millennials, 19% of Gen X, and 9% of Boomers share this view. As seen below, this gap between younger generations and older generations has remained steady as the election approaches, suggesting a deeper generational shift in how they view core democratic values and aligns with other data indicating Gen Z’s evolving attitudes toward democracy.

GEN Z’ERS DON’T PLACE AS MUCH IMPORTANCE ON LIVING IN A DEMOCRACY

Gen Z’s openness to political violence aligns with other measures we’ve tracked, including how Gen Z views democracy. Notably, in our May 2024 survey, only 62% of Gen Z voters said they believe living in a democracy is important, compared to nearly 90% of Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. While this number is rising among Gen Z, they still lag behind other generations. Since November 2023, the percentage of Gen Z voters who view democracy as important has increased by 14 points (from 70% to 84% in September 2024). Recognizing the importance of living in a democracy is likely crucial for increasing civic engagement and participation in democratic activities, such as voting.

GEN Z’ERS MORE INCLINED TO REJECT PROJECT 2025 POLICY PROPOSALS

One of the most talked about topics this election season is the policy proposals outlined in Project 2025. Not surprisingly, Gen Z exhibits the highest levels of opposition to all the policies outlined in Project 2025, likely due to the increased attention these policies have received on social media platforms like TikTok, where many Gen Z individuals get their news.

As seen below, 67% of Gen Z respondents reported that they do not support any of the policies presented to them, compared to 64% of Millennials, 54% of Gen X, and 63% of Boomers. Interestingly, however, Gen Z is also the generation most likely to support the combination and expansion of presidential powers, perhaps speaking to a desire for more expedient solutions to problems as Congress remains largely deadlocked.

With the growing focus on the gender divide among young voters—where men are becoming more conservative and women more progressive—we examined the differences in support between Gen Z men and women. Despite the small sample sizes, we found that there are surprisingly few significant differences in their levels of support. Specifically, 68% of Gen Z men reported that they do not support any of Project 2025’s policies, compared to 64% of Gen Z women who expressed the same view.

WHILE GEN Z TRUST IN 2024 ELECTION IS LOW, IT IS INCREASING

While Gen Z views diverge from older generations on political violence and the importance of living in a democracy, they are generally just as trusting of 2024 election results as older generations. As seen in the graph below, their trust in elections has significantly increased since May, narrowing the gap with older generations.

Currently, between 65% and 75% of Americans express some level of trust in the results of the 2024 election. As of September 2024, 73% of Boomers, 74% of Millennials, and 74% of Gen Z believe they can probably or definitely trust the 2024 election, while Gen X is slightly lower at 69%. As we continue to track election trust over time, it will be interesting to observe how these trust levels change, particularly as we approach the November election and misinformation increasingly spreads online.

GEN Z ARE LESS READY TO VOTE

Whether Gen Z’s unique perspectives on American democracy will influence this election depends on their turnout at the polls. We assessed voter readiness beyond just the intention to vote, which is often overestimated in surveys, and found that Gen Z is the least prepared to participate this election season.
In our evaluation of seven factors that gauge voter intention, as seen below, Gen Z scored the lowest on six of them. Notably, they exhibited the lowest confidence in knowing where their polling place is and in understanding the necessary steps to be ready to vote.

THE KEY TAKEAWAY

Gen Z’s higher tolerance for political violence and comparatively lower value on democracy signal potential challenges for democratic stability, as their perspectives differ sharply from older generations. However, their low voter readiness could limit their electoral impact in 2024, despite their strong rejection of specific policy proposals like those in Project 2025. More than anything, it will be essential for those in this space to continue engaging younger Americans, fostering habits that encourage lifelong civic engagement.

Interested in more on this topic or others? We’ll be continuing to track these key indicators to provide consistent, real-time feedback on the health of American democracy. Sign up for our latest insights here.

Methodology: The data come from Citizen Data surveys conducted between November 2023 and September 2024, with sample sizes ranging from N = 1,000 to N = 2,000 and a margin of error between ±2.2% and ±3.1%.

Footnotes: Choices for violence against elected officials included “Kill or physically harm,” “Forcibly occupy and obstruct access to public buildings in protest,” “Destroy or deface public/private property,” “Protest with weapons outside of their homes or places of work,” “Harass or intimidate online or in public,” “Publish personal information like phone numbers and home addresses,” “None of the above.” The category of “Yes” for Trust in 2024 Election Results was created by combining the “Yes, definitely” and “Yes, probably” response options. The category of “Important” for Importance of Living in a Democracy was created by combining the “Extremely important” and “Somewhat important” response options.

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