A RECENT POLL found that economic concerns such as increased cost of living and inflation have become the top voting issue for young Californians.
The statewide poll, conducted by Power California and Latino Decisions, examined how Californians aged 18 to 30 are navigating and responding to the first six months of the Trump administration, as well as the issues that would motivate them to turn out in the 2026 midterm elections.
The poll found that inflation and housing are the most critical issues across the board to young Latino, Black, and white Californians.
“By 2028, young Californians, particularly Gen Zs and aging millennials, will be the largest political voting bloc in our state,” said Saa’un Bell, executive vice president of Power California. “And the issues that are impacting their everyday experiences are also the issues that are motivating them to be civically engaged and active.”
According to the poll, 80% of young Californians say the cost of living is outpacing their wages. Nearly a third of young Californians said they’ve taken a second job or considered moving out of the state due to economic insecurity, with about 20% of them having to postpone bills, choose between paying rent or bills, or using a credit card to pay bills.
“What is motivating young voters isn’t partisan fearmongering. It’s the rent, it’s the wages, it’s the daily fight to survive.” Saa’un Bell, Power California
“Economic concerns have replaced social justice issues since 2020 as top issues that young Californians want elected officials to address,” said Latino Decisions senior analyst Andrew Proctor.
Inflation and President Donald Trump’s policies were the two factors that young Californians across racial and ethnic groups blamed most for increasing prices and continued economic uncertainty.
“What is motivating young voters isn’t partisan fearmongering. It’s the rent, it’s the wages, it’s the daily fight to survive,” said Bell.
The poll also found that young Black and Latino populations in California disproportionately experience the economic uncertainty young people feel across the state. Young Black Californians were more likely to report that they had to postpone bills or take on caretaking responsibilities within their families, while both Black and Latino groups were more likely to take on a second job compared to young AAPI and white Californians.
‘Economically crushed’
Hazbelt Benito, a 19-year-old organizer from Los Angeles, echoed the poll’s findings about the economic struggles of young Californians of color.
“I want to be part of the change in our communities. I want to help build a world we can be proud of. Right now, the cost-of-living crisis is severe, both in Los Angeles and San Francisco … Both cities have rich diversity, but many of our people, especially young men of color, are being economically crushed,” he said.
Kieshaun White, a 24-year-old environmental and social justice advocate from Fresno, also spoke about the lack of economic opportunities in his community.
“Living on the southwest side of Fresno, there’s not a lot of economic opportunity for youth to engage into other paths that are not traditional within our community. Most of the time, we are pretty much obligated to work jobs such as factory jobs and warehouse jobs,” he said.
Regarding the 2024 election, the poll found that most young Californians voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris despite a small shift away from the Democratic Party by white and Black voters, who reported less support for Harris relative to AAPI and Latino voters. The poll’s findings also supported that young men are less likely to oppose Trump’s policies regardless of race or ethnicity.
According to the poll, 42% of white voters voted for Harris as opposed to 43% for Trump. The split was 55%-33% in favor of Harris among Black voters, but that margin reflected an increase in young Black men registering as Republicans since last year.
“This is somewhat of a deviation from traditional alignments that we see between the Black community and the Democratic Party,” said Proctor.
That shift correlates with an age group-wide shift away from the Democratic Party, which Bell and Proctor attribute to both discontent with the Democratic Party’s leadership and a concerted Republican effort to approach young men during the 2024 election cycle.
“As young people emerge to become the political majority, you can no longer avoid talking to them or being in conversation with those young folks. Their votes can change the outcomes of several elections, whether that’s national, statewide, or local.” Bell said.
Not embracing Trump’s agenda
Despite the shift, young Californians generally oppose the Trump administration’s agenda and support democracy and social justice abroad. The poll also found that 54% of young Californians say the state is headed in the wrong direction, which includes a majority of young Latino, Black, and white Californians and represents a 10-point increase since 2024.
Daisy Maxion, a 28-year-old organizing director at Filipino Advocates for Justice, talked about the gap between California’s progressive reputation and the realities many young people face.
“I’ve seen firsthand what’s at stake if we don’t do anything about everything. At the end of the day, especially with the Bay Area and our leadership with progressive values, no one’s gonna save us but ourselves … We have to get going. We have to do things ourselves,” she said.
Despite their economic insecurity and national narrative about young people’s lack of interest in politics, more than one in three young Californians have donated money or volunteered in their community in the last six months, and upwards of 80% discuss politics with their friends and family.
“It is our own duty to save our community,” Benito said. “It’s an urge we are given as humans to want to help. Seeing how much suffering has been caused in L.A., especially now, it’s time to rise up with action to fight against it. Because if we don’t, we’re just going to be bystanders.”