(NewsNation) — A growing political divide is emerging among Americans under 30, as more young voters are shifting toward the Republican Party, according to a new poll. If the trend continues, it could significantly reshape the future of U.S. politics.
While younger voters have traditionally leaned Democratic, Gen Z played a crucial role in re-electing President Donald Trump in November 2024.
A new Yale Youth Poll, affiliated with the Yale Institution for Social and Political Studies, found that voters aged 18 to 21 now favor Republicans by 11.7 points, challenging the common perception of Gen Z as “uniformly progressive.”
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Among Republicans, Vice President JD Vance emerged as the most popular figure, with a net favorability rating of +65 overall and +54 among Republican voters under 30, according to the poll. More than 53% of Republicans (50% under 30) said they would support Vance in the 2028 GOP primary.
On the Democratic side, former Vice President Kamala Harris led with 27.5% of the party’s voters saying they would support her “if the 2028 primary were held today.” She also held a strong +60 favorability rating.
However, attracting voters won’t be plain sailing for Republicans. A CNN poll found that 56% of respondents disapprove of the way Trump has handled the economy since returning to office, while 44% say they approve, and 1% say they don’t have an opinion on the matter.
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“Politicians often promise things to young voters and reach out to young voters, but they can’t do that if they don’t have an understanding of what young voters believe and where young voters are,” said Jack Dozier, deputy director for the Yale Youth Poll. “That’s why polls like this are really important because they provide insight — albeit imperfect insight, but insight nonetheless — into what young voters believe.”
The Yale Youth Spring 2025 poll surveyed 4,100 voters from April 1 to April 3, including an oversample of 2,204 voters aged 18 to 29. It covered a broad range of issues, from foreign policy to gender identity, with three themes standing out: views on protest rights, universities’ roles in politics, and taxing wealthy university endowments. The poll’s margin of error was ±1.9 percentage points.
