As the 2024 presidential election approaches, some young voters say they don’t feel connected to either of the major parties.
Freshman Florida A&M University student Amber Ferrel is a registered Democrat. She says she doesn’t think the government or its leaders value Gen Z voices.
"I feel like we try to make our voices heard on social media with Instagram and TikTok and things of that nature," Ferrel says. "So at the moment, no, but hopefully, things will change.”
A Pew Research study found 78% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 use Instagram. And about 62% of the people that age use TikTok. Meanwhile, just 35% percent of people aged 50 to 64 use Instagram and just 24% percent use TikTok. That’s significant since the median age of a member of Congress is 58. When young people speak out on social media, there’s a chance government leaders won’t see those messages since the two generations are often using different platforms.
Meanwhile, Dillon Glanville who attends FAMU is not registered to a political party. He says many people in his circles feel detached from the two major parties and he’s more interested in focusing on the specific issues that are important to him.
When considering which candidate to support, Glanville says he asks himself, "does this person align with what we believe in, or do they not align with what we believe in? Or do they most align with what we believe in over the two candidates?"
A study by Tufts University estimates about 41 million Gen Z voters will be eligible to head to the polls in November—including about 8-million people who’ve become newly eligible since the 2022 midterm. That same study shows that in recent years, Gen Z is hitting the polls and voting more frequently than the generations before them. It also says Gen Z is more active in leading political and social movements.