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Both parties see Gen Z voters as a crucial bloc that could help tip the balance in November as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of Congress, with the GOP seeking to keep President Donald Trump’s agenda moving and Democrats pushing to retake Capitol Hill and steer the legislative agenda.
And as the Democratic Party grapples with the growing appeal of democratic socialism among young voters, Republicans are seizing on the trend to rally their own young base.
But conservative college students gathered at Young America’s Foundation’s Freedom at 250 conference in Washington, D.C., told Digital that economic pressures — from inflation to the housing crunch — are not only helping drive some of their peers toward democratic socialism, but that they themselves share those same concerns.
College students across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for Young America’s American at 250 conference held between July 6 to July 8. (Young America’s Foundation)
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“I think a lot young people are feeling a little bit hopeless right now, Courtney Graves, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Digital. “They want to be able to have a home when they grow up. They want to be able to have a nice life and a good-paying job. And what we’ve been seeing is that when those things don’t come to fruition, people tend to go to the extremes.”
Graves’ comments come as financial milestones such as buying a home, have been perceived as increasingly difficult for younger Americans. A Pew Research Center survey published in July found that 87% of Americans say buying a home is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation.
A recent report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that nearly half of renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing in 2024, and nearly half of Americans ages 18 to 29 received financial help to cover an expense over the past year, according to a Federal Reserve report released in May.
But Graves, who is the granddaughter of immigrants who escaped Communist-controlled Latvia, argued that embracing free-market policies is the best way for people to achieve the American Dream and that the Republican Party needs to work on its messaging to make that case more clear to young Americans.
Housing affordability remains a central issue as the Trump administration touts its economic agenda ahead of the midterms. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images)
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“I think free markets are the way to have a successful and prosperous life,” Graves said. “It’s what leads to job growth, it’s what leads to being able to buy a home at the end of the day, have a family and just overall live a great quality of life and have a strong country.”
While affordability remains top of mind for Americans this midterm cycle, Brody Baker, a University of Iowa student, praised President Donald Trump for bringing more accountability to the White House compared to former President Joe Biden’s presidency.
“I think we get more clarity of what’s happening with the United States as of today,” Baker said.
“With the administration being able to say, ‘hey, we have some criticisms’, Baker said. “There’s some issues with gas being so high, with how the economy, for some it’s hurting a lot, and for some, it’s hurting a little.”
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For University of Minnesota senior Jackson Barrick, pocketbook concerns are just one slice of the pie.
He pointed to the country’s immigration and border security policies and foreign policy as issues weighing most heavily on him. Barrick said Trump has done a “fantastic” job with his immigration enforcement agenda.
“I think it’s a really good step in terms of making sure that we have a good future going forward in the United States and protecting the homeland,” Barrick said.
But college students are also worried about a newer issue: artificial intelligence.
Nick Kammerzell, a recent University of Georgia graduate, said AI is the issue that most concerns him about America’s future.
Humans are using laptops and computers to interact with AI, helping them create, code, train AI, or analyze big data with fast, cutting-edge technology. (Getty Images/Wanan Yossingkum)
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“I think that it’s very scary,” Kammerzall said. “I think one of the biggest things that I’m concerned about with the AI issue is censorship and bias within AI. I think a lot of young people are becoming very dependent on it as their source of truth.”
“I think there’s a lot of opportunities for abuse and manipulation with that,” Kammerzall added, arguing the technology could potentially be used to warp people’s opinions.
Young Americans are also more skeptical of AI than older generations. A Pew Research Center survey published in June found that 48% of adults ages 18 to 29 expect AI to have a negative impact on society over the next two decades, compared with 37% of those 50 and older. Younger adults were also more likely to worry that AI could negatively affect their own lives.
Baker also expressed concerns over the algorithms created by social media companies.
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“You are given by Instagram — all these big platforms — your algorithm, your viewings, and you’re leaned towards, and you push towards a certain agenda or you’re pushed towards a certain idea,” Baker said, arguing this is creating staunch political divides with Americans.
