When Emily Gardiner first started paying attention to politics, she was 15, just beginning high school in 2016. It was the start of the first Trump administration, a moment that politicized a lot of young Americans.
Now 23, Emily works as a library assistant in eastern Connecticut and is rewriting the second draft of her adult fantasy novel. She describes herself as “definitely leftist, not liberal”.
“I was raised by parents who were politically active,” Emily said, “but I think a lot of my views also come from being Indigenous. My community puts a lot of value in sovereignty.”
She adds: “I think for a lot of us who identify as leftist versus liberal, we feel that both the Democrats and the Republicans have kind of capitulated in a way to authoritarianism.” She believes billionaires have too much influence over the Democrats and that “liberals are a little bit less socially active, more prone toward centrism, willing to compromise their values”.
Her words echo a generational sentiment among young people and young women in particular: that moderation feels like surrender in a time when so much is at stake. Across the country, generation Z women like Emily represent the most leftwing demographic in modern US history.
Such is not the case with the men of gen Z, whose views tend to skew more in line with the national average, according to a recent 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll. The polling found that only 26% of gen Z women approve of the job president Trump is doing, compared with 47% of gen Z men. The national average is 43% approval.
“There’s definitely a gender divide,” said Lily, a 24-year-old from North Carolina who works in legal services. “A lot of men of my age group I’ve noticed are more right-leaning.” She believes this comes down to the fact that many of the issues that leftists care about more directly impact women compared to men. Women have to care about politics because their health and safety depends on it.
“Unfortunately, I think people often only care about issues that affect them,” she said.
For Rebecca J, a 26-year-old from Washington DC, politics were “never optional”.
“I’m trans,” she said. “So politics has always kind of been in my life.” Raised in a conservative household, she describes herself as “a socialist, but more of a social democrat, think of it like a leftist by European standards.”
What matters to her most now are material conditions. “Economic issues are very important,” she said. “All these social issues we’re grappling with like abortion, trans rights, queer rights, they’re all downstream of the economic issues.”
Rebecca is a former tech worker and now works in delivery services. The instability colors everything, she believes. “People are so overwhelmed just getting food on the table. It’s convenient for billionaires that a large chunk of the population is distracted by culture wars instead of asking why rent is unaffordable.”
Like many of her peers, she sees the Democratic and Republican parties as a closed duopoly “both failing,” as she puts it “because they don’t want to fix it. That’s their strategy”.
Research shows that Gen Z is less likely than older cohorts to believe in meritocratic narratives about upward mobility. Younger people are notably more skeptical that hard work alone is enough to guarantee success.
And much like Emily and Rebecca, more gen Zers are choosing to reject the label of “democrat” or “liberal”, feeling that the terms and the Democratic party as an institution no longer represent their stance on many issues.
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Rachel, a 26-year-old office worker from Michigan, also shares this sentiment. “I identify as left, not liberal,” she said. “‘Liberal’ is used to describe the Democrats and I’m much further left to the point that I don’t want to be considered under the same umbrella. Liberalism is still a capitalist ideology, and I consider myself an anti-capitalist.”
For Lily, the issues that feel most urgent are reproductive rights as well as economic inequality. “Definitely healthcare, women’s healthcare specifically, the situation in Gaza, and anything economic affecting our work,” she said. “We’re passionate, but disappointed in our party. I think a lot of people my age would like the Democratic party to go in a different direction, more left.”
Internet algorithms also play a significant role in shaping an individual’s worldview. Younger people are more likely to be regular news consumers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Reddit. Research shows that algorithms used by social media platforms are rapidly amplifying extreme misogynistic content, especially when it believes the user is a young male.
Gen Z men are more likely than baby boomers to believe that feminism has done more harm than good. Experts cite the influence of social media figures like Andrew Tate and the polarizing effects of online content as major contributors to this attitude shift.
For gen Z women, it’s clear the leftward drift is deeply rooted in proximity to risk. Their generation came of age amid climate crisis, debt, job insecurity, and the growing threat of authoritarianism. They do not see compromise as civility, but rather as danger. If older generations saw politics as negotiation, Gen Z women see it as self-defense.
“Both parties are in the pockets of billionaires,” as Emily puts it.
“We don’t feel represented.” Lily said, adding “a lot of people in power now are older, and they’re men. Maybe they just don’t understand the position that a young woman is in.”
