pH Alec Soth/Magnum Photos (detail)
Of Francesca Beretta e Loretta Bersani
In 2016, Trump’s election was a surprise, something unexpected, an initial shock followed by a “let’s see what happens”. A lot has happened since then. The 2024 triumph is the result of an electoral campaign that began the moment Trump was defeated by Biden, which today led to a conscious vote in favor of a man with a well-defined identity, as are the its values and cultural heritage. And a vote against the leftabout which little or nothing is understood today.
When we think of the pro-Trump vote, the common imagination immediately runs to a profound, white, bigoted, isolated, poorly educated America, to that America which, if you know America a little, if Americayou travelledremains the same for hundreds and hundreds of miles, crossed by roads that never curve.
And while the country has clearly moved to the right, everyone within the Democratic Party tries to give themselves an explanation according to their position. Bernie Sanders, with his direct style, defines the centrist and liberal campaign as “disastrous”. Dem which have failed on several fronts: first the abandonment of working class white, then black, and finally Latino, at a time when 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Then foreign policy, with economic support for Netanyahu, despite the majority of Americans being against it, and, before everyone’s eyes, the genocide and starvation in Gaza. Sanders does not forget how it is young Americans who find themselves facing an uncertain future, with living conditions potentially worse than those of their parents and concrete national and global concerns. And it is in this context that Trump was able to take root with his MAGA motto (Make America Great Again), launched by Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign and popularized by the tycoon to evoke a historical America, not better defined but still successful, re-proposing the paradigm of “it was better before”.
One of the demographic areas on which the GOP has focused is that of Generation Z. American Gen Z has always been spoken of as the most progressive, multi-ethnic generation with the highest average educational level ever, passionate about the “woke” ideology ,” focused on issues of social justice, racial and gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, environmental sustainability and global peace. A generation with a strong civic conscience, which has been shown to vote at higher rates than previous generations at the same age. In the romantic imagination of those who place hope in a better social future in the hands of young people, many would have liked Gen Z to be just this monolithic block. But the reality is more complex and multifaceted.
As data from CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University in Massachusetts) show, in 2024 young voters preferred Kamala Harris to Donald Trump by a margin of 6 points (52% versus 46%, with the remainder in favor of an independent candidate or a third party). Although lower than in 2020, when they favored Biden over Trump by 25 points, the Gen Z vote (18-29 years old) still represents the greatest support for Harris among all age groups.
Dai data it emerges that groups of non-white young people, in particular women with college degrees (75%) and non-college graduates (74%), and non-binary people (82%), voted clearly for Harris, reflecting a trend in line with theidentity politics. Preference for Harris fades among nonwhite men (black, Latino and Asian). Young whites with a college degree favored Trump with 56%, while those without a college degree supported him even more strongly (67%). College-educated white women favored Harris by 60%, while those without college degrees favored Trump (55%). In general, young people indicated the economy as the main theme (42% of men and 39% of women), followed by immigration as the second theme for men (15%) and abortion rights for women (17 %). Among the topics that continue to emerge, the economy and a gender gap linked to the vote of young white men stand out. Let’s see how these factors were decisive.
The study storytelling conducted by generational researchers Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace, who have been working on Gen Z since 2013, exploring both the personal and academic and professional spheres, it describes this generation as the most diverse in history, placing a strong emphasis on ethnicity, gender, orientation sexual and socioeconomic background. But it’s right on the beginning stage of theirs adulting (becoming an adult) that it is important to focus on better understanding their challenges.
With a strongly conservative financial orientation, a large portion of this generation feels the pressure of their parents, considered the first role models, to undertake university studies to guarantee a better future, despite being faced with the highest university fees ever.
Indirectly affected first by the 2008 financial crisis and then by the effects of the pandemic, a large portion of young people often find themselves having to accumulate university debts while their parents are still busy paying off theirs. This generation enters college with the expectation of financial return and the desire to acquire immediately applicable skills. Hence the collapse in popularity of the humanities and a severe blow to the ideal according to which the noble academic mission of forming honest and thinking citizens would always prevail over the immediate usefulness of any qualification.
Unlike previous generations, members of Gen Z who enroll in college are not doing so to explore majors or elective courses that ignite their passions, and risk increasing debt. Instead, they seek degrees that respond to market needs and, for many, the college journey is accompanied by complex financial decisions and affordability measures: giving up on the ideal college choice, attending state universities, living at home with parents or following courses in high schools that award university credits to shorten the academic path. In the post-Covid period, the percentage of working students has increased dramatically; according to Bureau of Labor statistics (2022), 81% of college students work part-time and 42% work full-time.
Regarding the gender gap, let’s start by saying that Trump and Harris have used podcasts as their main tool to attract young people, recognizing the importance of Gen Z as an audience to reach in digital spaces, where opinions are formed and debated policies. On the advice of his 18-year-old son Barron, Trump has sought to reach young men through platforms that eschew traditional media, such as manosphere — an online network of male communities that promote anti-feminist and sexist ideas, where fake news becomes reality and political correctness a distant memory, a bit like the current ‘X’ of Elon Musk, friend and ally of Trump. On the other hand, Harris aimed to involve young women, using podcasts that deal with social issues directly and without filters, attracting mainly a female audience in an electoral campaign that left little, very little space for men.
Kelsey Eyre Hammondprogram coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that the emphasis of the campaigns Dem on women’s rights has made many young men feel marginalized, leading them to increasingly identify with the Republican Party, seen as an ally: “The Democrats’ strong campaign focus on reproductive rights and access to abortion leads many to think: ‘Okay, this party is for women.’, automatically shifting the focus to the GOP as a men’s party. According to a 2020 survey conducted by the PRRImany men agree with the statement that “society today seems to punish men just for acting like men.” This sentiment has strengthened support for Trump, seen as a symbol of masculine strength and traditional values. His gesture of raising his fist à la Captain America after the attack on the rally in Pennsylvania was interpreted as a sign of resistance, further consolidating his position among those who consider him the embodiment of male pride and a model of traditional virility . All this fits into the broader discussion on “support for masculinity” that Trump has been able to channel, leveraging feelings linked to the perception of a society where support for women, gender fluidity and issues of inclusiveness are now central.
A pride also highlighted by the figure of Vice President JD Vance, who gained national notoriety in 2016 with the autobiographical publication Hillbilly Elegylater adapted to film and released on Netflix in 2020, under the direction of Ron Howard. The title itself is emblematic: an elegy of hillbilliesthat is, those who come from the rural and mountainous areas of Appalachia, in the United States. The book tells the story of a boy who grew up in a poor family between Ohio and Kentucky, with a drug-addicted mother. He is raised by his grandmother and becomes a first-gen (the first member of the family to undertake a university course). He graduates from Yale Law School and marries his wife sweetheartknown during her studies. It is a success story that represents the quintessence of the American dream of “you can make it no matter where you start”. And here we highlight how this memoir you exalt white meritocracy, in a historical phase where diversity is considered a point of strength, representation and resilience. It is also a story where the triumphant protagonist never forgets his origins, his experience, that part of America that today favors Trump’s isolationist policy from the outside world, because he needs to save his own. The book gained popularity especially at universities, becoming common reading on many campuses where Vance was often invited to lecture. And where was he a few hours before the elections? Giving a speech at High Point University in North Carolina. And here is the Millennial, first an independent thinker, now an exponent of the GOP, who is preparing to become Vice President of the United States at forty-two years old, distinguishing himself as the most important politician closest to young people in age.
Until November 5, many believed, or at least hoped, that young people would make a decisive contribution to progressive and liberal America, contributing to the defeat of Trump and his cultural legacy. And instead, on November 6th we woke up in a dystopian ’68, with the realignment of a significant segment of young white and working class people who look to a Baby Boomer to bring the American dream back more than half a century by hook or by crook. with the bad, a bit ‘to Don’t Worry Darling (Olivia Wilde, 2022).
