In Praise of Young Adults

As we close out 2022, I want to celebrate our young adults.

They helped get us through the November elections without the projected red wave that threatened our democracy. The youngest voters – those 18-29 years old – showed up in record numbers, especially in key elections (and again in last week’s Georgia election!). They overwhelmingly voted to safeguard many rights that are existential for a large share of Americans.

I’ve been thinking lately about how our opinion and respect for young adults has changed dramatically, especially since I was in this cohort. It is well deserved IMHO. 

Workforce Sweet Spot 

When I entered the workforce, young workers had to patiently develop expertise that would lead to incrementally more interesting and engaging assignments and positions. It was very hierarchical. Young folks back then had no special skills except eagerness and energy.

In recent years, things have changed mightily.

Those entering or early in the workforce have prized skills – as digital natives — that are appreciated and needed from day one. As a program manager at the US Department of Energy (DOE), I relied on interns to help me manage the data and communication needs of the public aspects of the Solar Decathlon*. From their first day, my interns got to work on substantive projects organizing our website, creating data bases and weblinks to identify where prior houses are located and writing blogs and posts that would be appealing on social media. They simply had skills that most of the rest of us didn’t have. What they were capable of doing easily would have eaten up our budget if we had to hire expensive contractors to take care of these matters.

I’ve recounted this to every young person I speak to: their generation is appreciated precisely because of its youthful qualities. What a transformation. Gen Z and younger Millennials are in a unique sweet spot that will likely not continue. Going forward it will be the norm to expect digital and technological expertise, a thorough understanding of social media and the ability to figure stuff out via YouTube or whatever comes next.

Saving Democracy 

A couple of days before the November election, my anxiety eased somewhat as I realized it was unlikely pollsters were properly gauging the youth vote. Gen Z and most Millennials simply do not pick up the phone unless it’s a clearly identified parent or grandparent. Also, from what I was hearing about massive TikTok election engagement, there had to be a huge undercounting, given that polling algorithms do not yet capture this relatively new platform.

I even texted my kids to tell them I was excited for their generation to vote in large enough numbers to save our democracy. As many did, I woke up on November 9 hugely relieved and grateful that the youth recognized the importance of voting out MAGA Republicans and their ballot initiatives. Although only about a third of the under 30’s voted, they did so in much larger percentages than in previous elections, making a difference in many close contests.

The “Virgin Vote”

In the first podcast shared below, there is reference to the “virgin vote.” According to these scholars, one tends to stick throughout life with the party voted for in one’s first, or “virgin,” election.

For me, this was Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election. While many viewed the Iranian hostage crisis and skyrocketing inflation as the reason to vote for Reagan, choice was the defining issue for all the women I knew at the time. Paranoia can be a predictor of change. I have stuck with my “virgin” voting pattern – I’ve never voted for a Republican, with choice as the foundational issue. I hope those who never thought Roe could be overturned are doing a mea culpa since the Dobbs decision came out.

The Gen Z voter (born since 1997) has been greatly influenced by Trump and events that happened during his Administration. Current Gen Z voters were in middle and high school when Trump was elected. Rather than learning civics, they are living it.

I saw the effect on my kids and their friends. For example, I overheard a discussion of my daughter’s very diverse dance troupe the night after the 2016 election. To a kid, they were so devastated that their dance teacher wisely encouraged them to just talk instead of dance. They each had friends born in another country and were extremely frightened for their friends and their families. They were incredulous that an immoral, racist, misogynistic liar was now our President. They were fearful for their and our country’s future.

While this generation is not exactly a monolith or especially interested in party labels, they are motivated by values and issues. Their activism stems from concerns about voter suppression, gender rights, racial equity, bodily autonomy, gun violence, climate change and student debt. In addition, some are watching their states curtail common sense education. They’ve had it. Their list of concerns is much longer than the one my friends and I were worried about for our “virgin” vote.

Their Actions Speak Loudly

From what I see, these Gen Z/younger Millennials have a different mindset than those before them when it comes to material things. They are walking the talk on preserving our environment. They are deeply concerned about climate change and are less selfish in how they use natural resources. They tend to purchase gently used worldly goods and clothes on Facebook Marketplace or Goodwill rather than rush to purchase new items. They are less likely to own cars and more likely to rely on public transportation or bicycles to get around. In my home, my kids go apoplectic if I leave the water running for more than a few seconds.

It’s consequential that this age group has gained respect and power relative to earlier times. They’ve had to contend with much more than recent generations and will have to bear the consequences of awful decisions or indecisions made by their elders. Climate change, gun violence, and now abortion rights, among other issues, have been thrust on them to solve. We in the Gen X, Baby Boomer and above generations have screwed up. From Greta Thunberg to the Parkland kids to the young woman who filmed and shared the George Floyd video, youth are using technology and their voices to transform our world. They are active and organized politically and socially to a degree not seen since the Vietnam War era.

Social Media as a force for good

Most discussions about social media, especially as it relates to youth, focus on the negative impacts from exaggerated online profiles and an obsession with selfies. Social media has certainly contributed to social pressure, poor self-image, and cyber bullying to a worrying extent. Add in climate change anxiety, inequality, covid isolation and fear of mass shootings, no wonder our youth are experiencing mental health issues at an alarming rate. We also cannot ignore how violent extremists and the disaffected use online platforms to coordinate and amplify their dangerous efforts and visibility.

Still, I’d like to highlight the positive side. Social media has allowed a greater appreciation of difference and has been a godsend for those on the LGBTQ+ spectrum and others experiencing a medical or other issue. It empowers community and connection for the like-minded. Consider Black Twitter, or those with a religious or social connection, or even for parents trying to figure out how to help their kids navigate college or study abroad. I’ve connected with an online arts community I would never even know exists.

Young people basically live on social media, and it’s where they get their news and cultural cues. For this election, it was a force for good, and was the reason so many young voters showed up.

The younger generation wants to reshape the 21^st century’s political and cultural landscape to be more tolerant, inclusive, moral and innovative, not revert back to the inequitable-for-many 20^th century. Their numbers will inevitably grow in the coming years. Rather than appealing to a diverse society, many Republicans are focused on suppressing these and other voters as the only way to maintain power.

Young folks may have been sidelined until they earned their bona fides during my time, but today’s youth’s ability and appetite to step up, vote and show their commitment to addressing so many of our deficiencies is critical in this moment. I welcome them taking over.

Related Recommendations:

The Power of the Youth Vote from the Now & Then Podcast  

Gen Z Are Building the Future They Want to See from The Michael Steele Podcast

How Do Election Polls Work? The NPR Politics Podcast

*The US Department of Energy started the Solar Decathlon in 2000 as a university competition where student teams design and build solar-powered, energy efficient houses over two-years and then compete head-to-head in a large public event. It has since expanded to almost every continent. My last position at DOE was as Director of the Solar Decathlon. The US edition has since evolved into separate design only and build contests, without a central public event. For more information, see www.solardecathlon.gov