Young women are more liberal than ever

Gen Z women are most liberal generation yet

What you probably already know: Gallup released survey data late last week that shows that young women are more liberal than their counterparts in the past, particularly on issues of the environment and abortion. The report describes the shift as a “surge in young women who identify as politically liberal” and it is significantly larger than the shift for men, showing a widening political divide between young men and women. Back in 2001-2007, 28% of young women (Gen X) identified as liberal, compared to 25% of men under 30. Then, young liberal women jumped to 32% in the decade that started in 2008, mostly Millennials. Now, 40% of Gen Z women identify as liberal, 15 percentage points higher than their male counterparts.

Why? The report suggests that the most recent period coincides with the record increase in women, most of whom have been Democrats, who have been elected to Congress, governorships and state legislatures. It also happened during the Trump/Biden presidencies and elections, which the report shows is the period where the political divide increased the most. While young men also got more liberal during this same period, they are actually reporting to be less liberal than they were during the Obama presidency.

What it means: Women, in particular, shifted farther left on three key issues: environment, abortion and gun laws. The survey asked questions like: Which would you prioritize, protection of the environment or economic growth? Women are now 19 points more likely to choose the environment than they were before 2016. They’re also 18 points more likely to believe abortion should be legal under any or most circumstances, a jump from the previous generation of 42% to 60%. And they’re are 16 points more likely to say gun laws should be stricter than their Millennial counterparts. It’s worth noting, everyone included in this polls was of voting age. Reports are already suggesting that if young women come out to the polls, it could potentially swing the election in Kamala Harris’ favor.

What happens now? When pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris after last week’s presidential debate, more than 405,000 people visited the vote.com website that she cited in her endorsement. The New York Times interviewed young voters after Swift’s endorsement and their comments indicate that it was swaying their opinion of Harris to be more favorable. That said, only 23% of young people voted in the 2022 election, and states that have made it harder for people to register to vote have lower voter turnout among young people. Getting young women registered early will be key for Democrats if they want to take advantage of this strong political swing.