Why Gen Z is More Likely to Vote as a Result of COVID-19
New Research from DoSomething.org / DoSomething Strategic
Edited by Director & Editor of Research, Irene Pedruelo
Despite being bombarded daily with headlines focused on COVID-19 and its global impacts, Gen Z hasn’t forgotten about the U.S. election in November. Every week, DoSomething.org reaches out to our members, ages 13–25, to touch base on how they’re feeling, how they’re impacted, and how they’re coping amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Since our first survey on March 18, we’ve received thousands of responses each week, from young people in every state in the U.S.
On April 22, nearly 4,000 respondents told us how COVID-19 was impacting their thoughts on the U.S. elections.
Gen Z Is Watching…And Voting
The majority of respondents (53%) told us they are spending more than an hour a week consuming content around the election specifically, and 22% are spending at least one hour a day on election coverage.
And because of COVID-19, 31% of respondents ages 18–25 say they are now more likely to vote in November. Gen Z is watching and taking note of what elected officials (and candidates) do and say in response to COVID-19. They’re translating how those actions reveal what they want for the American people. While most haven’t changed who they plan to vote for, the crisis has made them more resolved in their choice and why. This is true whether those mentions are of Democrats or anti-Trump or if they mention Republicans or are in favor of Trump. (Note: the plurality of survey respondents, and indeed Gen Z more broadly, identify as “Moderates.”)
Gen Z Wants A Government To Work For All
For those 18 to 25-year-olds who said they were more likely to vote, a prominent theme centered on wanting a government that truly cares about the lives and livelihoods of the people they’re supposed to help protect. And that they’re putting the best interest of people’s health and well-being over business, the economy, or other politically-driven agendas. Greater access to healthcare and other aspects of a safety net were mentioned with great frequency.
“I’m now basing my decisions on how candidates talk about healthcare and the social issues surrounding COVID.” —18-year-old, Texas
“Made the need for universal health care even more important.” —18-year-old, California
“It’s given me an opportunity to look deeper into where the government puts health and who I think can best help during times like these.” —22-year-old, California
“I will be looking at how individuals handled the COVID-19 crisis, because I think it says a lot about a person by how they react under pressure. I also will be looking at their policies on economic recovery, universal healthcare, and paid sick leave.” — 24-year-old, Texas
“COVID-19 has impacted my choice in voting because it has shown me the neglect of certain groups of people in a world-wide time of panic.” —18-year-old, Minnesota
And they want leaders who take accountability, speak with honesty and consistency about their plan to get their state and this country through this crisis with minimal loss of life, minimal negative impact on lives and livelihoods, and to be prepared for what’s next.
“It has shown me I really need to dive deep in researching candidates, so we do not end up in another fiasco like this one.” —18-year-old, Virginia
“I have paid attention to those who put American citizens health and safety first over corporate greed and money.” —24-year-old, North Carolina
“The way the president as well as the governor of my state has handled this crisis is a travesty. I’m ready for someone with common sense to be in office so I can feel safe.” —21-year-old, Florida
“… I want to make sure that I try to vote for someone that actually cares for the people in its own country not corporate America.” —19-year-old, Texas
What about those 14% who were less likely to vote? The strongest reason noted in the open end responses was fear of contracting the virus among the expected mass gatherings of people that in-person voting creates. And it extended beyond fear of the gathering itself, but also to the many items one person needs to touch when they do go out. Few talked about alternative ways to vote, such as by absentee ballot.
Others felt like with all of the news focused on COVID-19, there wasn’t enough information on the candidates for them to make an informed enough decision. Finally, a few talked specifically about how they are less likely to vote because Bernie Sanders is no longer running.
A Real-Time Civic Education…And Gen Z Has Some Thoughts
All of this news has certainly changed Gen Z’s views on government itself. Of all respondents, ages 13–25, 83% share COVID-19 has impacted their views on the role of government.
In some ways this is good news — Gen Z is observing and learning a lot about how the government actually works by watching the government’s response to the COVID-19 situation in real-time. Or, perhaps more accurately they are paying attention to what the government is doing and determining for themselves if it “works” or not.
They are making note of:
1. The practical responsibilities of government — to create and enact policy, to take action on behalf of people and businesses, to appropriate money and other resources to get things done (or to withhold that funding to prevent things from getting done) and to work with (or NOT work with) the states, with other nations, with businesses, with experts, with aid agencies, etc.
2. The role of politics in government — the deal-making, the cooperation (or lack thereof), the partisanship, the ideological differences between parties and between the various levels in government
In many instances they are not simply expressing partisan preferences; rather they are noting what the government is and isn’t doing. Many say what they are observing is directly influencing their attitudes about the proper role of government and the current status of parties and ideologies.
“The way the government officials have been handling corona proves their character of how they handle stress and being under pressure of the well being of America.” —17-year-old, Maryland
They’re realizing just how much power governments have, and how that power can be misused and underutilized, and how that power can both protect and harm.
“Throughout all of the COVID-19 outbreak, it has been the government informing us of the proper actions to take. They also had the power to shut businesses and all nonessential places down. The government has a lot of power, and we need to make sure that they stay responsible.” —21-year-old, Texas
“At first, the government was just this distant power that made laws that didn’t affect me. Now I’ve been stuck at home for a month because of them and it’s like ‘Huh, I’ve always known they had power over me, but never really understood that they did.’” —18-year-old, Arkansas
“I understand the importance of separation of powers, but this should not be a contest over who has the most power. Or a game of politics. People are dying. The federal government should require all states and territories to be on lock down. This is a pandemic, this is a disease, and it is not going away unless people stay away from each other. Yes, even the Taco Bells need to close, you can get your crunch wrap supreme later, Karen.” —18-year-old, Arkansas
“The government has complete control over the economy, food and beverage industry, education, how we worship and the entire public and private sectors. It shows how much pressure they are under and I fear what will happen if they were to make a mistake or fail.” —18-year-old, South Carolina
Related to this, many note that how the government uses that power is important: Are they taking effective action? Who is benefiting from this action? Who is not benefiting (or even being hurt) by this action or inaction? Sadly, some respondents are realizing there are indeed agendas in government and politics that are driving the COVID-19 response, and some believe those agendas favor big business or the wealthy at the cost the poor and marginalized groups (small business, immigrants, minority communities, etc.).
“I have seen a lack of empathy and support for the marginalized, for the ones being most impacted by the pandemic. It has made me realize even more the way the government supports class separation by only ensuring the survival of the more wealthy amid this pandemic.” —21-year-old, Washington
“I see how the government just continues to discriminate and continue to mistreat tax paying immigrants as they push them aside and don’t help them out by giving them any source of help like the stimulus check. It has made me realize how big capitalism is in the government and in the United States and how once again one group will always be favored and protected more than others.” —20-year-old, California
In terms of role or responsibility, most feel the government is supposed to:
1. Act in the best interest of all the people and use money and other resources to protect lives and livelihoods;
2. Be aware of threats (like COVID-19) and be prepared to minimize the negative impact — from maintaining teams of scientists who can proactively analyze disease data, to having the necessary stockpiles of medical supplies, to being able to immediately activate emergency response;
3. Create, implement and enforce policy that protects lives and livelihoods — from working with states to protecting jobs to having a healthcare system in place for all people; and
4. Provide accurate, truthful information and clear direction.
Gen Z Is Disappointed In Our Government
Most of Gen Z feel the government has not performed well against these expectations. On March 24, 2020, we asked our members how they felt the state and federal governments were handling this crisis. They ranked the federal government at 5.8/10 and their state governments at 6.9/10.
The biggest causes for the lower rankings were related to the delayed action our federal government took, the lack of listening to actual health experts, and a feeling that governments — both federal and state — were not doing all that needed to be done to protect lives, then livelihoods, and then businesses, in that order.
“I believe that the Federal Government should have taken action sooner, and we should have been more prepared. …we should be aware of the rise of misinformation and keep our officials accountable for their actions. As my teacher has said, “Knowledge is power, power is freedom, and we could all use more of that” — 23-year-old, California
“They should definitely be giving extra help to the poor, to people losing their jobs and the homeless. … They also need to figure out how to help hospitals more, it is not okay that the people who are supposed to protect us through all this chaos are stressing out even more due to not enough supplies.” —18-year-old, California
“I think politicians should have acted sooner in full recognition of the active and progressing cases in other countries. … Despite warnings from medical professionals, the government seems to be only focusing on the economic impact than controlling the pandemic.” —17-year-old, California
“The federal government has tasked the states to make decisions. While many states in my area such as MD, DE, and NJ have governors that acted quickly and intelligently in response to the outbreak, the federal government should be setting the same expectations on a national level….” —17-year-old, Maryland
In the survey dated April 15, 2020, most of Gen Z’s comments were still about how the government was not prepared, not responding quickly and effectively to minimize impact, and not clear in its messaging.
“This could have been avoided or at least a lot less of an issue if the government did their job and if the president didn’t disband our pandemic team, as well as fire a lot of the government’s health teams within the country as well as around the world.” —17-year-old, Florida
“It’s highlighted the importance of leaders providing truthful information to people. I know many people here still don’t think the virus is a big deal and continue to gather in large groups… And it starts with the president wanting people to go back to work before we even have a cure/ any sign on this virus slowing its spread throughout our country.” —24-year-old, Louisiana
“In retrospect, it showed really how “un-united” the different states are, there isn’t central power to truly get rid of this pandemic in our country.” —17-year-old, California
“I believe there was a lot of ignorance at the beginning of all of this. … I am not ignoring the government’s efforts in any way and truly thank our government for their hard work. Yet, I cannot forget that necessary precautions could’ve been taken earlier. Also, in a time of crises we should be united as a country, regardless of politics! It’s obvious that many politicians and representatives don’t agree! It’s a time of vulnerability, not a time to move their political agendas.” —18-year-old, New Jersey
Of course, there are some who feel the government response has been good, and a few who believe the government has too much power. But these were a small minority of responses.
The COVID-19 epidemic has provided Gen Z with a — thankfully — rare opportunity to see how governments at all levels and of all political stripes respond to a crisis. These observations are having an immediate impact on their views of the roles of government and the effectiveness of leaders across the country, if not the world. There is little doubt these impacts will be felt at the polls in November, with potential lasting political consequences for parties and leaders in the future.
ABOUT DOSOMETHING STRATEGIC
DoSomething Strategic is the social impact consulting arm of DoSomething.org, the largest global organization for young people and social impact. DoSomething Strategic uses data-driven insights from DoSomething’s 5+ million members — ages 13–25 in every area code in the United States and in 131 countries worldwide — to help brands build relationships with and strengthen affinity among young consumers by driving purpose forward.
