[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Public Affairs.]
By Samuel J. Abrams
Real Clear Public Affairs
The weeks leading up to the 2020 Election were a blur for many college students around the country. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting normal life and the Trump administration’s unpopularity, it was clear our nation’s students wanted a new president.
And while students and the rest of Gen Z stepped up to make that happen, underneath their engagement was a deep frustration that neither Biden nor the Democratic Party were doing enough to address their unique concerns. Now that the nation is well into the Biden presidency – and even before the troubles in Afghanistan and with the Delta variant – new data makes it clear that college students still aren’t sold on Biden or the Democratic Party, especially in recent months.
Well into a relatively calmer and more predictable Biden presidency, the hearts and minds of our nation’s students are still open and up for grabs.
A recent survey by College Pulse of close to a thousand college students shows Gen Z students are neither a Democratic monolith nor are they supporters of the political status quo. Thirty-seven percent of students surveyed identify as strong or weak Democrats while just 11 percent identify as strong or weak Republicans. This is no slam-dunk for Democrats, however, for the majority of students (53 percent) identify as Independents or something else entirely.
What’s more, the majority of college students (58 percent) believe neither the Democratic nor the Republican Party represents their interests. Those on the political extremes are more at home with the current parties, but even their allegiance is not absolute. Although the sample sizes are not large, they show that 70 percent of students identifying as strongly Republican and 62 percent of those identifying as strongly Democratic believe their respective parties represent their interests, while about a third of each say neither party does.
The numbers look even dimmer for the major parties as we stray from either side of the political aisle. 83 percent of pure Independents say they lack affinity to any party. Among leaners to the left, 62 percent believe that neither party represents their interests; 66 percent of right leaners agree. Whichever party is first to speak to Gen Z’s needs and concerns has a clear opportunity to rally a group of largely untethered and uncommitted voters.
Beyond personal politics, college students are not particularly excited or happy with the Biden administration. An Ipsos poll found from early June found that while 55 percent of Americans approve of Biden as President, students are not as optimistic – just 44 percent approve of the job President Biden is doing. Even though Donald Trump is out of office, this data hardly represents an overwhelming vote of confidence – let alone exuberance – for President Biden and his administration.
There is remarkable parity among college students in this lack of excitement. Fourty-four percent of students from working class backgrounds approve of Biden, compared to 40 percent of middle class and 41 percent of upper-middle class students. Racially, there are some differences: 43 percent of white and 46 percent of non-white students approve of Biden, but neither group is overwhelmingly happy with the President and his administration. Unsurprisingly, strong Democratic students are much happier with Biden (75 percent) than Independents who lean Democratic (48 percent) or Independents leaning Republican (16 percent). Still, most students – like Americans generally – cluster in the middle and not at the extremes.
Finally, while Gen Z’s level of engagement was high leading up to the election, political interest today has fallen. Barely a fifth of Gen Z (19 percent) say they are very engaged in politics today, with over a third (34 percent) being mostly or completely disengaged. Interest even among the most partisan is low. Just 29 percent of strong Democratic and 38 percent of strong Republican students say they are very engaged. Just 5 percent of Independent students are currently very engaged in politics while 56 percent have effectively checked out.
Politicos, press, and the public must all keep a watchful eye on students’ political disenchantment and disengagement going forward. Some may be quick to label Gen Z as a politically lost generation, eager to walk away from a two-party political system they feel doesn’t represent them. But from my students, and seeing truly impassioned organizations and reading social media posts, I see a far more optimistic future: they want pragmatism, understand tradeoffs, and want to find paths forward without polarization.
The party that ultimately succeeds in connecting with and mobilizing Gen Z voters will have a strong advantage in future elections. Young Americans want to move beyond the extreme partisan rhetoric currently poisoning our political system. The nation’s largest generational cohort is still in play but could fade from the political scene if they are sidelined and disengage too long.
It’s far past time for Democrats and Republicans to make their moves. The question is whether or not either party wakes up, rejects polarizing positions and movement to the extremes, and returns to their values of inclusion, compromise, and focus on prosperity for the nation.
Samuel J. Abrams is professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Public Affairs.]
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