The next year is a big one in politics, both in Australia and around the world. Aussies will cast their vote in the federal election some time to be announced before September 2025, and Americans will take to the polls on 5 November.

It’s often been said that today’s young people aren’t as interested in politics as the generations before them but a record-high 90% of 18-24-year-olds have already enrolled to vote in the Australian election, proving just how much they value their voice.

That’s 1.8 million votes that could decide the country’s next Prime Minister, giving this generation a great deal of power now and into the future.

The results of our latest survey also prove just how interested young Aussies are regarding what goes on in parliament. Using the results from our August Youth Omnibus, our latest YouthInsight offering providing clients with fast, reliable insights about Gen Z, here’s what we found:

 

Key Insights:

  1. 37.9% of Aussie Gen Zers are interested in the US election.
  2. If a federal election was held today, 27.2% would vote for the Labor Party, while 23% would vote for the Greens.
  3. 43% of Gen Z said they felt satisfied with Anthony Albanese’s performance as Prime Minister, while 53% are satisfied with the performance of Peter Dutton, Leader of the Opposition.

 

How much do Gen Z care about the US election?

Americans will soon pick a new President and, while it isn’t young Aussies taking to the polls (yet), they’re still paying attention to what’s happening in the USA.

According to our data, more than a third are either interested (8.8%) or ‘somewhat interested’ (29.1%) in the upcoming American election.

With so much of the lead-up to the election being played out online and on social media, it appears plenty of Gen Zers are interested in staying up-to-date with the latest.

Gen Z's interest in the US Election

What about the Australian election?

When it comes to domestic politics, those that care about international affairs are also likely to care about the government close to home as well.

Specifically, those that said they were interested in the American election are more likely to:

  • Vote for the Greens in Australia’s federal election.
  • Be satisfied with the way Anthony Albanese is doing his job as Prime Minister and dissatisfied with the way Peter Dutton is doing his job as Leader of the Opposition.
  • Think that Anthony Albanese makes the better Prime Minister.

However overall, the majority of Gen Z (34.7%) is undecided on who they’ll vote for when an election is called some time next year.

It goes to show that while Gen Z is one of the most vocal about societal and environmental issues, particularly on social media, something shifts when it comes to the political process and actually casting a vote for a particular party.

Among those who could decide, the Labor Party was the most popular party, followed by The Greens, likely due to young peoples’ aforementioned passion for sustainability and social justice.

Who would Gen Z vote for in the election

Okay, let’s get specific. How much do Gen Z know (or care) about particular party leaders?

When asked how they felt about the way Anthony Albanese is doing his job as Prime Minister, 43% of Gen Z said they felt satisfied with his performance.

Comparatively 53% reported feeling satisfied with the performance of Peter Dutton, Leader of the Opposition.

Interestingly, while more Gen Zs reported being happy with the way Peter Dutton was doing his job compared with Anthony Albanese, more than three times the number of young people thought Albanese made a better PM than Dutton.

 

While it can be easy to subscribe to the stereotype that Gen Z are disengaged in politics, it’s clear from the data that the youngest eligible voters are interested in what’s going on around them politically.

With an election just around the corner, it’ll be important for political parties to consider the needs of Gen Z, like their concerns about inflation or increased engagement with sports.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you with your research needs, get in touch with us here, or to add your question to our next Youth Omnibus wave, click here.