A new Teen Vogue-Ipsos poll shows teens prioritize the economy and student safety. Previous research on Generation Z and Millennials shows a significant drop in liberal affiliation among younger Americans between 2008 and 2019. Additional data shows a steep decline in support for Socialism, and increasingly conservative views.
Economic Issues Over Social Issues
There is a common misconception peddled by the mainstream media that younger Americans are laser-focused on social issues and climate change. In reality, younger voters’ priorities are much more economically driven. Young voters’ priorities are much more similar to those of their parents and grandparents.
Market Research Foundation grouped Gallup polling on a range of public policy issues into categories based on voter satisfaction earlier this month. The analysis revealed well over half of voters are satisfied with gay rights and the position of women in the US. Taxes, immigration, gun violence and campaign finance reform were all cited as important issues where a majority of voters want to see improvements. However, a majority of Americans were satisfied with where the country stands on LGBTQ and women’s issues.
Generation Z and Millennials are no different. Younger voters prioritize the economy, healthcare, and education just like older voters. Criminal justice reform stands out as an issue particularly pertinent to young people. Even climate change, a hot button issue that has dominated in the Democratic primary debates, ranks near the bottom for young voters overall. Below are the issues listed by level of importance for Generation Z and younger Millennials.
Criminal Justice Reform and Armed Security in Schools
Wide differences emerge on issues like immigration and federal subsidies, but younger Americans share common ground on justice and safety. Criminal justice reform ranks fourth out of nine key issues young people prioritize, with 84% of young voters saying it is important. Although Democrats rank criminal justice reform slightly more important than Republicans, this issue holds bipartisan importance. Eighty-eight percent of Democrats rank criminal justice reform a priority, and 83% and 80% of Independents and Republicans agree.
Solutions to criminal justice reform earn bipartisan support, with 82% of young people favoring equipping police officers with body cameras. As shown below, 78% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats, and 77% of Independents support on-the-job body cameras.
Gun policies rank sixth out of nine key issues young people prioritize. Although there are conventional party deviations, with young Democrats favoring an assault weapons ban and young Republicans opposing, there is broad bipartisan support for armed security in schools.
Seventy-six percent of young people support armed security officers in schools. Eighty-four percent of Republicans, 75% of Independents, and 74% of Democrats support security officers in schools, as shown below.
Young Americans share economic and healthcare priorities with older Americans, but criminal justice reform and school safety stand out as uniquely important to Generation Z and Millennials. The threat of gun violence in school is a tangible issue for young Americans, but their views are nuanced and do not fall along party lines. Instead of side-stepping the gun safety debate and ceding ground to radical leftists, conservatives should offer pragmatic solutions like armed security in schools and put the left on defense.
