New voters, new attitudes: how Gen Z Americans rate candidates with respect to generation, gender, and race

Abstract

A vast literature discusses the barriers to minority and women representation in politics. We examine whether the youngest generation of Americans, Generation Z, penalizes women and minority candidates. Gen Z has come of age when matters of race and gender have come to the forefront of American politics. Simultaneously, the slate of candidates being offered has grown younger, more diverse, and increasingly female. We investigate the ways in which young Americans approach these candidates using two survey experiments of Generation Z respondents. We find mixed evidence that Gen Z prefers women candidates to men, but consistently find they view Black candidates more favorably than their white counterparts. Notably, Gen Z shows little to no preference for younger candidates. We assess the findings of these studies in the context of theories of representation and bias. The results of the analyses suggest the possibility in future elections that race, and to a lesser extent gender, may become an asset for minorities and women running for political office.