Reproductive rights, economy and Israel are top issues for Gen Z voters, students say
MINNEAPOLIS — According to the U.S. Census, there are 42 million Gen Z-ers between the ages of 18 and 27 who will be eligible to vote this year — but will they?
A national poll conducted by Harvard University found Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump.
That same poll found 74% of young Democratic-leaning voters plan to cast a ballot, while 60% of young Republican-leaning voters said the same.
Despite these figures, there are many students who remain undecided.
What might be troubling for Democrats is that students who seemed to align with Democrats on issues told us they were not sure who to vote for.
When asked about issues that bothered students the most, University of Minnesota junior Ali Swanson said, "I would say my top two are climate change and reproductive rights."
Swanson is not alone.
Another U of M student, Grace Schmidt, said she's also concerned about reproductive rights, particularly abortion.
Both Swanson and Schmidt believe Harris and Tim Walz align more with their values when it comes to these issues.
Reproductive rights were not the only thing on students' minds. Another topic WCCO heard a lot about is money.
"I have a ton of loan debt," said U of M junior Gabriel Riley. "I don't know how that is going to happen when I get out of college, how that is going to affect me and it scares me."
While Riley says he is leaning toward Harris at this point, he too is undecided
The Biden Administration's policy towards Israel and Hamas was another top issue that students cited as one of their top concerns.
"One thing I definitely look for in candidates is Christian values," said student Ella Fidler, who identifies as conservative.
Fidler thought JD Vance was great during the VP debate.
"He is very open and honest about his faith," said Fidler.
But she is not ready to commit to the Trump-Vance ticket, though she says she is "definitely leaning in that direction."