Unless we reshape what it means to be a successful adult in this country to accurately reflect economic realities, our political system will continue to fail in its attempts to appeal to young rural voters.
Analysis by Tufts University Of the 2024 youth vote, only 42% of young voters aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 presidential election, down from 50% in 2020 but 3 percentage points from the 2016 campaign. It was revealed that there was an increase. Approximately one-third of these young voters lived in rural areas.
The 2024 election results showed us some truths, including a clear disconnect in messaging, at least at the national level.
Both data and anecdotal evidence suggest that while the majority of rural young voters weren't crying out to jump on the Trump train, neither candidate was honest about their real issues. Many people said they did not attend the election because they felt that they were not being honest. face every day.
If they want our votes, the candidates feel they are preventing our generation from realizing what our parents and grandparents were able to get at our age. We need to talk a lot about economic and real-world issues. They spend time and money focusing on issues that are culturally divisive or insulting our intelligence by talking about issues where they are actively making our situation worse. You shouldn't.
The reality for rural youth is that their communities lack the necessary resources and operate within a very different social class than in urban areas. These truths create a sense of hopelessness and helplessness that is growing among rural youth.
For example, in walkable communities and urban environments where public transportation meets important daily needs, a private car is considered a luxury. But in rural communities, where jobs can only be found at a Walmart 32 miles away and the nearest city's public transportation doesn't reach your neighborhood, your car becomes a lifeline. The odds are even worse if multiple members of the same household depend on one vehicle.
More importantly, politicians and strategists seeking to appeal to these young voters must let go of widespread misconceptions about Gen Z. Generation Z is stereotyped by constant social criticism that they are lazy, unmotivated, and entitled. Even if young people from rural areas have cars and are able to work, their chances of getting a promotion or a full-time job are limited by the clouded judgment of their older bosses that they are spoiled zoomers. be influenced by.
These social issues extend to all aspects of digital life, including media. Whether you want to believe it or not, social influence from the right is more effective than moderates, the left likes to think, and many rural youth consume it on a regular basis. They listen to music by Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan and Adin Roth. They focus on “relationship” podcasts and streams that tap into downtrodden young men and women looking for answers to push traditional values and improve their standing in life.
Most of these messages may fall on deaf ears for young people who cannot imagine life in the words of media personalities or who could hear viable alternatives to improve their standing in life. Not actually listening. Candidates seeking to win the votes of rural youth may seek these solutions on behalf of critics seeking to uphold outdated forms of masculinity, femininity, and family in order to contribute to larger conservative agendas. It is necessary to provide countermeasures.
This is what young rural voters want to hear from candidates: “We understand.” We live in a world where it's very difficult for you to achieve the same things that your parents were able to achieve in the early 2000s. Here's how to make buying a home, financing a car, joining the workforce, and building income and savings more manageable.
Gen Z loves older generations dearly, but we need to see a major shift in what they believe constitutes a thriving and successful adult. If you have to work two of the available jobs just to pay the rent, you can't just buy a house and start a family.
Our parents bought a house for $130,000, which has now tripled to $400,000. But our income hasn't tripled in that time, so Gen Z won't be able to make a down payment on that price. Ultimately, the reason we don't buy a home is not due to a lack of work ethic or an inability to get married by age 22, but rather to cold economic facts.
We have to exchange commonplace words like “See you later.” we hear you. ” Constructive and actionable guidance begins and ends with active listening.
The road ahead for rural residents is difficult, and we must take steps now to protect our communities from the expected onslaught of legislation and executive action that the second Trump administration promises to impose. No.
Please believe me. Young rural voters will remember who threw them a lifeline in 2028 and who didn't.
Eric Reeves is a communications fellow at the New Rural Project.
