We said “Make HIS pockets hurt…” not Gen Z’s. When we’re shopping for groceries, pumping gas, or paying rent, many of us are just closing our eyes and hoping our card doesn’t decline. Prices for everyday needs are up. The job market is scary. Our careers are barely getting off the ground, but a lot of us already feel behind.
Long story short, many of us are down bad:
of Gen Z voters named cost of living and inflation as a top issue in 2024.
named jobs and unemployment as a top issue in 2024.
of young Americans have student loan debt.
Whether your rent eats half your paycheck or your family is relying on you, voting might feel like the LAST thing on your mind.
But our elected officials are actually deep in our pockets. They have the power to create policies about rent control, student debt relief, minimum wage, price gouging, and more, which impact our everyday survival.
Young people are paying more and owning less. It’s time to clock this at the ballot box.
Okay, so… we might not know how to call the doctor’s office, but what we do know? Confusing paperwork, expensive prescriptions, hours on hold with insurance companies, and overworked hospital systems. Our healthcare system is broken.
The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country, but millions of us still struggle to access the care we need. And the second we turn 26, we become the most uninsured group in the country. Happy birthday, I guess.
of Gen Z say we or a family member can’t afford healthcare.
of us have to skip or delay the care we need because it’s too expensive.
Our generation reports the highest levels of anxiety and depression in history.
Healthcare in America is the therapy appointment we can’t afford, the inhaler that costs more than our grocery bill, and the stress headache that never really goes away. That’s why healthcare was a top issue for almost 30% of Gen Z voters in 2024.
The politicians we elect literally decide who gets care and who gets left on read. If we want a system that actually shows up for our generation, we have to show up at the ballot box.
2024 was the hottest year on record. Wildfires, snowstorms, and hurricanes are getting worse every year, devastating communities across our country and world.
young people say our communities have already experienced crazy high temperatures, droughts, floods, and more.
of young people say we’re okay with the federal government’s actions on climate change so far.
Even scientists say that the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in U.S. history, is not enough to keep global warming under control.
This isn’t just about our planet — it’s about our safety, cost of living, and jobs. That’s why young people who prioritize climate change are more likely to vote and 26% of us said it was a top issue in 2024.
Climate change hits different for us. We’re the ones who will live with the consequences.
It’s at our schools. Malls. Churches. Grocery stores. Concerts. Neighborhoods. Places we’re supposed to be safe. For our entire lives, gun violence has terrorized our communities and ripped away our sense of safety.
Many of us practiced lockdown drills at the same time we were learning fractions, survived shootings before we could even vote, and have already attended too many memorial services. That is not normal, and it is not okay.
of young people have experienced gun violence.
Black 18–24 year olds are 19 times more likely to die by gun violence than our white peers.
Young survivors have a higher risk of mental health issues and substance use.
About 299,000 lives could be saved over the next decade if every state saw the same gun violence rates as the country’s leading nine states in gun safety policies. The politicians WE elect can create and pass gun policies to keep us safe. They fund our police departments, set our mental health budgets, and decide what gets a vote on the floor.
Our safety is on the ballot in every election.
In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson — and just like that, our constitutional right to an abortion was gone. Our access now varies state to state, and at least 20 states have banned or severely restricted it.
of patients have been forced to travel across state lines, usually hundreds of miles, to get abortion care.
Read that again: people are traveling hundreds of miles…. for healthcare. But voters have fought back, supporting access through ballot measures in at least 13 states. And abortion is on the ballot this year in Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia — impacting reproductive health care for millions of Americans.
Clock this: After the Dobbs decision, voter registration surged among women under 30, and 41% of Gen Z men say abortion shapes their vote. This isn’t just about healthcare to us. It’s about autonomy and basic rights. And that makes it a defining issue when we vote.
Which issue hits hardest in your life right now? Step up and tell us.
