Gen Z Is Broke and Fed Up With Politics

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... At Thanksgiving last year, a great-aunt tried to offer Kayla Cornett a reassuring example: Her older cousin had worked hard, saved and bought a house. Cornett, 24, could do the same, she said -- if she tried just a little bit harder.

What stayed with her long after the turkey was cleared was the implication that her current efforts just weren't enough. She was trying to keep up with rent and the ordinary expenses of adulthood, and it was a struggle. She recently started carrying a credit-card balance for the first time, she says, after even modest costs began piling up. Filling her gas tank was $40. "I can not eat, or I can have credit card debt," she remembers thinking when older relatives questioned her balance.

Cornett and her partner have stayed in their Raleigh apartment even as the complex has grown less safe and cars have been broken into. They had moved in 2023 and were reluctant to do so again; other places now cost $200 or $300 more per month. Leaving would mean trading one worry for another bill they can't afford. ...

Alphaville - Forever Young (1984)
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... Young people are growing disillusioned as they struggle with mountains of debt. ...

Gen Z - if you feel pessimistic about the future, then why save up for anything?

Gen Z Wants to Save But Can't Stop Spending (August 2026)
www.newsweek.com

... Those in the Gen Z age bracket have shown a desire to work hard and save earlier than older generations, but this is coming into conflict with the spending habits of America's young adults.

Recent surveys show that the cost of living remains a leading worry across all ages, with one July poll finding that 95 percent of the country believes that the United States is in the midst of an affordability crisis.

However, it is Gen Z -- those born between 1997 and 2012 -- who appear to be holding off on saving for homes or other major milestones amid these concerns, but nevertheless engaging with the country's consumption-driven economy.

According to a recent report from the Bank of America Institute, Gen Z boasts "the lowest savings-to-spending ratio of any generation," meaning it typically spends far more than it has in accumulated savings each month. ...

The approach of Gen Z seems to be ...

If you feel pessimistic about the future, then why save up for anything?

Of course, that then might raise a larger question...

Why might Gen Z be so pessimistic about heir future?