Generation Z and the Election: Issues MHS Students Care About Most

58.5%25+of+MHS+Students+surveyed+said+they+lean+left%2C+with+the+other+41.5%25+leaning+right

Template courtesy meta-chart.com

58.5% of MHS Students surveyed said they lean left, with the other 41.5% leaning right

Suzie Cavalier, Staff Writer

Have you heard there’s a presidential election this year? From TV Ads, Tweets, Trump’s sniffling, and Hillary’s emails- it’s almost impossible to avoid. And everyone seems to have their own opinion, including Generation Z.

Gen Z encompasses anyone born from around 1995 to 2010. This is the first election this generation is eligible to vote and their views significantly differ from their predecessors (almost as much as Trump and Hillary on immigration). Studies indicate that Gen Z is most likely to vote for candidates that say they will lower costs for higher education, increase access to affordable healthcare, protect the environment, and advocate for human rights. Gen Z, unlike the millennials, could ultimately be voting based on the issues not just by defined political parties.  

After surveying and talking to MHS students the results were shocking. The biggest topic MHS students want addressed is gun control.  Gun control, ISIS, and the U.S. Economy are the issues Minnetonka students want talked about most by the candidates.

They don’t want to hear about Trump building a wall, or Hillary accepting Clinton Foundation donations from foreign countries. They want to hear about the things that they believe will directly impact them. Hopefully students will hear more than bickering from these two in the coming days before the election.    

When it comes to voting in this election, over 20 percent of MHS students surveyed said that even if they could vote, they would not vote in this election.

Out of the ones that would vote; Hillary is in the lead with 45 percent, Trump at 26 percent, and over 8 percent would vote for Gary Johnson (one of the biggest numbers an independent has had in years).  

Ultimately, no one is very happy with the candidates. The fact that 20 percent of students would choose not to vote is incredibly depressing. Only time will tell if  Trump’s hairstyles and Hillary’s colored pantsuits are the way to win the vote of the younger generation.