Young Black voters are becoming more conservative than their parents. Here's why

Jen Iro, a 34-year-old from Texas, has been having a hard time with the current state of American politics. The last time she cast a ballot was for former President Barack Obama, and she doesn’t think she’ll vote this year either.

“[Politics are] not really important to me because as of right now, it seems to get worse and worse and worse, which really makes me more disinterested,” Iro explained.

Iro is one of a growing number of young eligible voters who are feeling disconnected from politics and unable to identify with a political party. With a lack of affordable housing, climate change and rising costs, some millennials and Gen Zers are feeling hopeless about a political system that they don’t believe has been catering to their needs.

Generally, young voters and Black voters tend to vote Democratic. In 2020, 92% of Black voters cast a vote for President Biden, while only 8% backed former President Donald Trump.

However, there appears to be a shift within the Black electorate that has been widening over the years. According to Pew Research, 7% of Black voters over 50 currently identify as or lean Republican, while 17% of Black voters under 50 align with the Republican Party. It is unclear how Vice President Harris, as the Democrats' presidential hopeful, will fare with this group.

People tend to grow more conservative as they age. But among Black voters, younger generations may be the more conservative ones. In a pivotal election year, this conservative shift could have an impact on the upcoming presidential election.

Approximately 40 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in November. Of that 40 million, almost half are young people of color, including nearly 6 million Black youth.

Christopher Towler is