Young people in America have been uniquely and disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that may both hinder and reshape their participation in civic life. Most K-12 schools and universities have either closed or transitioned to an online learning format, which has usually entailed reduced in-classroom time and diminished educational opportunities. Unemployment rates for young people in the labor force are the highest ever recorded.| circle.tufts.edu
Much has been written about “Millennial” participation in politics, but the youngest eligible voters in the 2018 midterms belong to the post-Millennial generation, sometimes called Generation Z. These young people, born after the mid-90s, grew up with the Internet, smartphones, and social media while watching news of school shootings and having active-shooter drills in their own classrooms. They also grew up watching, and sometimes joining, movements for more equality, fairness, and safet...| circle.tufts.edu
The 2018 midterm elections featured historic highs in campaign spending, media coverage, voter turnout rate, and overall attention and excitement—particularly among young people. For many, that election was also a “year of the woman” in which more than 30 women were elected to Congress for the first time. The 2018 election built on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run, the Women’s March, the #MeToo movement and other notable events that have mobilized and inspired young women to ...| circle.tufts.edu