What do Gen Zers think of Kamala Harris?
From Swifties to Brat Summer and the latest polling
Welcome to the latest edition of The Gen Zer. This week, we discuss Gen Z’s views on the upcoming US election. We also take a look at ‘underconsumption core’, Gen Z’s dislike for overhyped sightseeing, and more . . .
No generation is a monolith, and within any age bracket there will be a full spread of views, but as always there are trends and transformational forces that seem uniquely Gen Z.
Generation Z make up 33% of the global population, 40% of consumers and – due to their massive online presence – hold a great deal of influence. With the US election looming larger and larger online and in the media, one big question remains: what do Gen Z make of it all?
Brat Summer
The elephant in the room here is bright green, meme-codified, and comes with a very popular soundtrack. Just hours after Biden stepped aside and endorsed his Vice President for the head office, the official Biden HQ TikTok account rebranded as Kamala HQ, along with the two-word bio, ‘Providing context.’ Harris’ campaign almost immediately began doing its best to tap into the zeitgeist, creating memes and following trends – with one trend in particular in their sights.
If you haven’t heard of Brat Summer by now, then . . . where have you been? Charlie XCX’s album, brat, came onto the charts at the start of June and has been electrifying fans online with its high-energy, devil-may-care sound and aesthetic. When the singer then tweeted ‘Kamala IS brat’, Harris’ team were quick to jump on this, rebranding themselves with the bright green of the album’s cover.
Older generations might shrug at all the mostly-online excitement and furore, but, after all, the internet is where Gen Zers spend so much of their time. You’re more likely to meaningfully reach them on TikTok than on the street – and if you want them to vote, then you do need to reach them.
Go back one-hundred years and try to explain how Charlie XCX releasing a chart-topping hyperpop album, branding it an ugly shade of lurid green, and then tweeting ‘Kamala IS brat’ could have such a global reaction. The past few elections have seen a greater and greater focus on social media, but 2024’s election feels like it’s taking a next step along that path, influenced, in part, by a whole new cohort of Gen Zers able and willing to vote.
Zooming to new heights
Last week, after Harris announced that she was running for nomination, virtual rallies quickly raised over $10 million. What’s surprising about this is not so much the support, but more where that support is now being found: increasingly, online.
On the same evening that Biden bowed out of the race, a Zoom call with over 90,000 people raised $1.5 million for Harris’ campaign – and throughout the following week there were more and more online calls, one of which (with around 200,000 participants) was reportedly the largest Zoom call in the company’s history.
Gen Zers often get described as ‘digital natives’. We grew up online, and whereas in-person rallies might be off-putting for a number of reasons (not least the cost of actually travelling to one), attending an online call feels, for better or worse, pretty natural. We’re used to it, to say the least.
For Harris, there are hallmarks of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, which has been credited with using social media in new ways to fundraise, organise volunteers and reach communities. What’s worked so well for Harris in the past few weeks is that it’s largely been natural – most of it hasn’t required any input from her. Galvanised Gen Zers have been making memes, creating groups, reaching undecided voters all of their own volition, often citing things such as reproductive rights or Project 2025 to help convince apathetic Zers who aren’t yet decided or registered.
Swifties are a good example of an online, Gen Z-led community that has been getting involved in the election in recent weeks. Whilst Taylor Swift’s fans come from all across the political spectrum, a group naming themselves Swifties for Kamala (@swifties4kamala) was founded on the same evening that Biden announced he wasn’t going to stand again. Following on from a viral tweet by one of the organisers, the group quickly gained tens of thousands of followers on each of the main social media platforms.
Swift herself hasn’t publicly endorsed the group, and neither has she endorsed either Trump or Harris, but that’s not stopping fans of hers from using their digital communities to fundraise, raise awareness of key issues, and encourage young people to register to vote. Swifties for Harris uses a Discord channel to organise themselves across the country; they’ve also been in touch with Harris’ campaign to work together in the future.
Gen Z at the polls
Not all Gen Zers can vote (the youngest were born in 2012), and for those who technically can, there’s often been a fairly widespread aversion to voting in the US. Turnout in the 2020 election was only around 50% for those aged 18-29, for example.
However, with Harris stepping forward as candidate, it does seem that there’s a newfound energy to young voters in the US. The Guardian recently published an article where they talked to US voters in their twenties, and a lot of the conversation hints at wider feelings of both relief and excitement for the campaign.
Many potential voters noted the contrast between Harris’s age and that of both Trump and Biden. For many Zers, neither of the two previous candidates offered much hope or sense of aspiration for young people — whereas Harris represents something different. In the words of a 25-year-old from New York, “I was not voting before, and now I am.”
A lot of the polling backs this up. Vote.org, the nonpartisan registration platform, had over 38,500 people register to vote in the two days after Harris began her campaign. By the following Friday the number of new voters was higher than 100,000, with the majority under the age of 35. And for those under the age of 30 who are registered to vote, Harris is currently leading Trump by nearly 20 points, according to a The New York Times/Siena College poll.
Gen Z are by no means a wholly left-leaning generation, of course. Recent data from Morning Consult suggests that young people are becoming less liberal and more moderate, driven largely by economic concerns as well as an increased importance on things like routine, traditions, privacy and faith. Similarly Trump still has a sizeable following amongst young people, particularly with young men. Moving to the right is a trend that’s been seen in pockets of young people across the world, as I talked about in a previous newsletter.
Whatever happens, for Gen Z this will be a historic election, the first for many of them in which they can vote. As a generation they’ve already been bringing a unique voice to democracies around the world, from the largely Gen Z-driven win for democracy in Senegal, to remixing TikToks for their favourite candidates worldwide, to running for office themselves.
Gen Z around the Web
the latest stories in youth culture and changing trends . . .
What is ‘underconsumption core’ and is it a positive trend? (thred.)
The latest internet micro trend sees young people celebrating a life of minimalist spending habits, in reaction to other popular movements like ‘clutter core’ and the rise of fast fashion more generally. Read more
Has social media made sightseeing deeply uncool? (mashable)
For many Gen Zers, authenticity matters a lot more than following the beaten path — think photos of Parisian cafes over selfies with the Eiffel Tower. The latest social media trend is, apparently, not following the trends. Read more
Tackiness is having a moment (thred.)
Judging by a few of the latest fashion trends, Gen Zers appear to be in an era of unapologetic bad taste. Here’s why we should be celebrating the end of aesthetic and welcoming in tacky with open arms. Read more
Gen Z loves pistachios — and are embracing health and wellness trends (ad age)
I mean, who doesn’t love a pistachio ice cream? A few brands are really starting to tap into Gen Z’s love for the little green nut, prompting a race to cash in on health, wellness and plain old good taste. Read more
That’s all for this week! Make sure to subscribe for the latest on Gen Z and youth culture, and check out The Common Thred for a weekly roundup of the latest news, trends and thought pieces.
See ya soon,