"We're Just Surviving": Meet the Young Voters Who Could Determine the Election

How economic despair is shaping the mindset of crucial young swing voters in battleground states

The Backdrop

"It's like surviving. It's not like living."

These words from a young Pennsylvania voter capture the stark reality facing America's youth in 2024. In recent focus groups I conducted across the “Blue Wall” battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, young voters who describe themselves as "on the fence" painted a portrait of American life that should alarm all of us. They spoke not of dreams deferred but of dreams abandoned, not of temporary struggles but of permanent precarity.

A perfect storm of generational challenges has shaped their perspectives. Coming of age in the wake of a global pandemic, they're facing the harshest economic headwinds in decades and navigating a housing market that has pushed homeownership further out of reach than ever before. The turbulent 2020 election colored their earliest political experiences, while today, they confront a job market that offers surface-level stability but profound structural challenges.

Photo by Ernie Journeys on Unsplash

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My Three Takeaways

Campaigns must address these realities in the final days before the election. Traditional messages about "building a better future" won't resonate with voters struggling to survive the present. The campaign that breaks through to these young voters—that convinces them their daily struggles are truly understood—may well prevail in November. Here's what we learned about what matters most to them.

#1: The Economics of Despair

Young voters aren't just financially stretched – they're fundamentally reconsidering what the American Dream means for their generation. Across all focus groups, young Americans described a profound shift from building wealth to merely sustaining existence. This isn't temporary anxiety about entering adulthood; it's a calculated reassessment of what's possible in modern America. The pattern that emerged shows young voters abandoning traditional markers of success not by choice, but by necessity, forcing a wholesale reimagining of what a successful life looks like.

Housing Crisis
"I have a lot of anxiety surrounding, like, being able to buy a house one day, like, on a teaching salary," Evelyn confessed, voicing a fear that echoed across all groups. When Jacob added, "I don't have any intentions of ever purchasing a home. I don't have any intentions of ever doing the old fashioned American Dream," the room nodded in grim recognition. For many, even renting feels precarious. "Every month it's like, can I make rent? Will I need another roommate? When will they raise it again?" shared Marcus, describing the constant pressure of housing instability.

Job Market Reality
"It's like surviving. It's not like living," Maliek explained, describing his daily work life. The promise of entry-level positions rings hollow for many. "They want five years experience for an entry-level job that barely pays enough to cover rent," Dylan noted with frustration. The impact ripples through all life decisions: "I've taken a step back from dating because I realized, like, I'm a selfish person. And I think that if I can't provide for myself, there's no way I can provide for someone else," Malik admitted.

Cost of Living Spiral
"It's scary today... I know a lot of that had to do with bank lending and mortgages. I wish I was more well versed in exactly what is causing all of the inflation today, but I do know that I am scared of it and a lot of my friends are," Dylan shared. The daily math of survival weighs heavily: "You're choosing between groceries and gas, between doctor visits and phone bills. Everything is a trade-off," Reyna explained, her voice tight with frustration.

Career Path Disruption
The traditional path of career growth – starting in entry-level positions and working toward better opportunities – appears increasingly out of reach for this generation. While their parents might have balanced passion with practicality, today's young voters describe being forced to abandon career aspirations entirely in favor of basic economic survival. This shift isn't just about delayed dreams; it's about fundamentally different expectations for what work can provide.

"I think they view younger people as lazy now," Aspen noted bitterly, "because we don't have certain things that they have, like having the house and, you know, the newer car and, you know, the $100k job." The reality of career choices has shifted dramatically. "You can't follow your dreams when you're worried about survival," Muhammad explained. "Every job decision is about money now, not growth or passion."

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#2: The Mental Health-Economic Security Nexus

The relationship between economic stability and mental health emerged as devastatingly clear in our research. What makes this generation's mental health challenge unique is its inextricable link to economic survival. Young voters aren't just anxious about the future – they're struggling to maintain psychological stability while navigating unprecedented financial precarity. The result is a generation caught in a vicious cycle: economic instability breeds mental health challenges, which in turn make economic stability harder to achieve.

Daily Anxiety Reality
"I would definitely describe it as depression," Manny shared, his voice heavy. "When you asked the question, what do you cling on to for hope? I couldn't think of anything... There's really no reason for someone our age to look forward to the future at this time." This pervasive anxiety touches every aspect of daily life. "It's a constant struggle," Jacob described, "like, constant doom, like, impending doom."

Healthcare Access Barriers
"It's crazy because even today I was looking for a therapist, and they don't make it easy," Rebecca shared, her frustration palpable. "It's very hard to find one." The intersection of mental health and economic stability creates a devastating cycle. As Reyna explained: "How am I gonna pay for rent? Like, how can I even, like, afford food today? Like, that stuff just doesn't help your mental health."

Coping Mechanisms
Young voters described an exhausting array of daily compromises and adjustments to manage their mental health in the face of constant economic pressure. While there's more openness about mental health challenges today, the gap between awareness and access remains stark. Many described cobbling together informal support systems and making difficult trade-offs between treatment and basic needs.

"Like, with mental health and stuff," Aspen observed, "it used to be a really big thing where you'd struggle in silence. And I feel like nowadays, there's much more support." But that theoretical support rarely translates into actual help. Multiple participants described rationing therapy sessions, relying on crisis hotlines, or seeking help through social media because professional care remains out of reach.

The reality of these choices emerged clearly when Blake explained, "You know there's help out there... but it's like looking at a store window when you're broke. You can see what you need, but you can't access it." This gap between knowing what could help and being able to afford it adds another layer of stress to already overwhelming circumstances.

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#3: Political Engagement Without Much Enthusiasm

The most troubling revelation from these sessions may not be young voters' anger at the political system – it's their resignation to its failures. While their commitment to voting remains strong, their belief in its power to create change has eroded dramatically. This creates a dangerous dynamic: a generation going through the motions of democracy while deeply doubting its ability to address their needs. The disconnect between political rhetoric and lived experience has created not just an enthusiasm gap, but a credibility crisis.

Voting Motivations
The most revealing moments in our focus groups came when young voters discussed their plans for November. Despite profound skepticism about the political system, most still intend to vote – but their reasoning reveals a troubling shift from democratic enthusiasm to grim obligation. It's a sense of responsibility stripped of any real hope for change.

"I'll vote," Blake explained, "I'll vote because I don't think that my vote's just for me. I think it's for other people too." But this sense of duty comes with deep reservations. "I hate being in this state of choosing the lesser of two evils when they're both evil," Hector added, capturing a common sentiment. This wasn't just typical youth cynicism – participants described feeling trapped in a system they've inherited but never chose, going through the motions of democracy while doubting its ability to improve their lives.

Information Landscape
Young voters described a paradox: they're swimming in political content but struggling to find information they can trust about issues that actually affect their lives. While campaigns flood social media with messages and every platform offers competing narratives, these voters feel increasingly isolated from authentic political dialogue. The problem isn't just information overload – it's the growing gulf between political discourse and daily reality.

"I don't think the politicians of today actually get us," Muhammad explained, "because the average age of the politician is well into their 60s." The disconnect goes beyond age. "You try to stay informed," Evelyn shared, "but every source says something different, and nobody seems to be talking about what's actually affecting us."

The frustration runs deeper than typical young voter cynicism. These focus group participants described spending hours trying to verify basic facts, only to find themselves more confused. "It's exhausting," noted Sarah. "TikTok says one thing, the news says another, your family sends you something else entirely. Meanwhile, I just want to know if I'll ever be able to afford a house or if my student loans will crush me forever."

Key Issues & Priorities
The gap between campaign rhetoric and lived experience emerged as a crucial theme across all focus groups. Young voters expressed particular frustration with sweeping national promises that fail to address their immediate, local challenges. They've grown weary of grand visions that never translate into tangible changes in their communities.

"At the end of the day," Marcus emphasized, "they're gonna talk about issues that generally, you know, speak for the whole US. But I'm not in the whole US, I'm in Philadelphia, PA. So what are you gonna do that's gonna affect me here?" Yadely added her frustration: "The thing that always makes my eyes roll is when I hear candidates talk about all these promises, and then they actually get an office and nothing happens... you're left with all this false hope."

This cycle of promises and disappointment hasn't just bred cynicism – it's created a generation that measures political speech against their daily struggles and consistently finds it wanting. When candidates talk about "American renewal" or "building back better," these voters are thinking about their neighborhood's job market, their local rent prices, and the mental health services they can't access down the street.

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The Bottom Line

The research reveals a crucial bloc of persuadable voters who haven't given up on democracy – but they're close. These aren't partisans; they're the young Americans in battleground states who could determine razor-thin margins on November 5.

Traditional messages about "fighting for young people" won't work with voters who've heard it all before. Victory depends on addressing their immediate realities: housing costs, mental health access, and basic economic survival. As Marcus from Philadelphia demanded: "What are you gonna do that's gonna affect me here?"

The campaign that speaks to these daily struggles – with concrete plans, credible messengers, and authentic understanding of their lived experience – may find their margin of victory in these final days. Because while these young voters say they'll show up out of duty, duty alone won't drive turnout where it matters most.

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