Gen Z Women’s Major Voting Concerns: Affordability and Financial Security
TL/DR –
Gen Z women rank affordability, including the costs of healthcare, housing, and daily needs, as their top political concern, according to a recent The 19th/YouGov poll. While this view aligns with the top issues identified by all groups of voters this year, political candidates struggle to connect on this issue with Gen Z women who are disillusioned with the political establishment’s responses to a growing affordability crisis. Gen Z women, who vote at higher rates than Gen Z men and are skewing left politically, are looking for candidates who will address their concerns with specific policies, regardless of their political party.
Part of the Gen Z at the Ballot Box series, a collaboration between States Newsroom and The 19th.
Discuss politics with a Gen Z woman, and affordability will likely surface. Things like renting a home, college, or social activities are driving young women’s political concerns. According to a recent 19th/YouGov poll, majority of Gen Z women worry about affording healthcare, housing, groceries, and utilities, more so than their male counterparts.
Despite affordability being a top issue for voters this year, political messaging around it isn’t resonating with Gen Z women. These young women, who consistently vote at higher rates and lean more to the left compared to men, express disillusionment with the political establishment’s lack of radical solutions, according to The 19th.
“Candidates need to be more direct and take immediate action,” says Molly Metz, a 19-year-old student leader with NextGen America at Penn State.
Students are struggling with high living costs like rent and groceries, says Metz. Standard political messages around lower taxes do not appeal to them.
Both Democrats and Republicans are trying to focus their campaigns around affordability but it’s not breaking through to young people. Despite both parties acknowledging the affordability crisis, their messaging remains vague and fails to resonate with young people.
Candidates need to understand and address the unique financial challenges facing young women such as student loan debt, a persistent gender pay gap, and increasing anxiety about their financial futures.
It’s not about political affiliation but the individual candidate’s message. Gen Z women are looking for candidates who are willing to listen to their concerns and propose specific policies.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, is often cited as an example of how to engage disillusioned voters effectively. His clear, tangible policies and active community engagement helped him secure the support of 82% of young women voters in the 2025 mayoral election.
“People want to hear: ‘I have a solution for you to be able to ultimately help take care of your family,’” Mariah Ross, the ballot initiative director at One Fair Wage, says.
While young women are not single-issue voters nor are they a monolith, many can’t focus on other causes until their own livelihood feels secure. When Ross talks about raising the federal wage floor from $7.25 to $25 or $30 an hour, the response is overwhelmingly positive.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misrepresented the year PRRI polling data was released.
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