Jake Tapper’s Take on Gen Z Politics
Jake Tapper of CNN has expressed his belief that Generation Z will lean “much more conservative” than earlier generations. He attributed this shift to educational environments that he feels are promoting progressive political views excessively.
During a recent appearance on “The Reason Interview” podcast, he pointed out that the Democratic Party seems to be struggling to connect with Americans aged 13 to 28. “Gen Z is going to be more conservative,” he stated, reflecting on his interactions with young people, including his children and their friends. He described this generation as having a significant level of skepticism, which he thinks might stem from various social and political movements.
Tapper indicated that disenchantment with the progressive movement is a factor in this skepticism, mentioning figures like Bernie Sanders and movements like Black Lives Matter and MeToo as points of contention. “I think it’s because of COVID,” he added, suggesting that recent events might have further influenced young people’s political perspectives.
As he continued, Tapper also criticized former President Trump, noting that despite Trump’s claims, he did not win the support of young voters as he had hoped. However, he acknowledged that Trump performed better among them than any Republican candidate in the past.
Election data from 2024 highlighted a notable shift in young voters’ preferences. For example, Gen Z backed then-Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump by only a narrow margin of 4 percentage points, a drastic change from Biden’s 25-point lead over Trump in 2020, according to research from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Interestingly, there’s a sharp gender divide in Gen Z’s political alignment. Recent surveys found that around 45% of young men approved of Trump’s presidency, while only 24% of young women felt the same way. Additionally, about 52% of women in this group identified as Democrats, making them the highest percentage of any age or gender demographic. In contrast, only a third of Gen Z men considered themselves Democrats.
