A weak job market, rising housing costs, and worries about artificial intelligence and war are combining to produce widespread anxiety among college students nationwide. That anxiety is fueling a surge of support for progressive, anti-establishment candidates, particularly on campuses.
For three years at Michigan State University, Frankie Llerandi has tried and failed to land an internship. Graduating this spring with an economics degree and an interest in data analytics, he has no job lined up. 21 is how long he has been searching.
Kira Saiti, 19, is more upset about the broader world than she is about her own future. She sees images of violence and horror, both in the Middle East and closer to home.
Julian Bautista, who identifies as 20, watched his chosen field of environmental work collapse under Trump administration budget cuts. He intends to depart the United States after graduation to seek employment in the Netherlands. He characterizes his home country as a failed democracy, driven by what he describes as corrupt politicians.
The Numbers Behind the Anxiety
Two years ago, dark economic winds boosted Donald Trump’s share of young voters far above what is usual for a Republican candidate, by 47%, according to AP VoteCast. The figure illustrates how closely young people’s political views track their economic prospects.
Worries over artificial intelligence and the Iran war have been added to the mix, fueling a wave of candidates who disrupt the usual order and are embraced by college students.
Michigan progressives are backing a slate of candidates, and Llerandi, Saiti and Bautista are among the supporters. The group includes Abdul El-Sayed, who once ran public health programs and is now seeking the Senate seat, and Will Lawrence, a liberal activist hoping to defeat Tom Barrett, the Republican congressman from the swing district that includes the university.
Unemployment Among Young Graduates
People aged 22 to 27 are facing an unemployment rate of 7.2%, a measure that is above the broader national figure of 4.1%, though it falls short of some other periods of economic stability. Recent college graduates are seeing their own joblessness sit at 5.6%, a level that outpaces most other times in recent history save for the Great Recession.
A 2024 study found members of Generation Z are poised to be wealthier than millennials, who themselves are wealthier than the prior generation. Kevin Corinth, the economist who co-authored that study, is at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank.
Rising Costs Hit Harder
Texas-based economist Kathryn Edwards pointed out that the setting is demanding for young people, with historically high housing prices joined by rising costs for food and healthcare.
Optimism Has Plummeted
According to a Gallup survey conducted this year, young Americans’ confidence in the job market has dropped sharply since 2024. The difference in how they see the economy compared with older generations is now larger than almost anywhere else in the world.
Marla McGraw, assistant dean of career management in Michigan State’s business school, says students face being spammed and scammed by fake job postings online.
The Candidates Drawing Support
Students on campus are backing candidates who reject the status quo and want real change. The two progressives, El-Sayed and Lawrence, are running on a disruptive platform, and their message is landing with young people who believe the current system is letting them down.
The Candidates on Campus
| Candidate | Office |
|---|---|
| Abdul El-Sayed | U.S. Senate |
| Will Lawrence | Congressman |
| Tom Barrett | Congressman |
How Students Are Responding
Students are taking action rather than simply complaining, and Saiti says they are doing so as she watches images of violence and horror on her phone, both from the Middle East and places closer to home.
A 21-year-old biochemistry major named Praveen Amunugama says he hopes the job market improves over the next two years so he can afford to buy a house. His friends share the same hope.
The generation gap on the economy between the young and the old has grown wider than in almost any other country.
The Job Market’s New Shape
The hiring process now centers on AI-driven digital tools, carried out almost entirely online. According to Marla McGraw, assistant dean of career management at Michigan State’s business school, students frequently ask whether job postings are genuine.
“They’re always coming in here going, ‘Is this real?'” McGraw said. “Think about the amount they get spammed and scammed, and there are tons of fake jobs out there.”
What This Means for Young Voters
What students are responding to is a message that goes beyond the usual Democratic talking points. Instead, the candidates drawing support are promising to disrupt the system, and that promise is landing with students who believe the current system is letting them down.
The voters are the students, and the ones presenting new ideas are the candidates.
There is real anxiety, and the candidates are answering it. The midterms will reveal if that answer was sufficient.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs narrow rules against hidden safety failures and disclosure requirements, and is against federal licensing and broad regulations that lock out startups. It also backs candidates who disrupt the usual order, particularly when the economy is failing young people.
The anxiety these students feel is real. They are looking for candidates who will actually change the system, not just talk about it. That is the kind of disruption the paper supports.
But the paper is wary of any regulation that hands the market to the incumbents, especially when it comes to AI. Licensing regimes and compliance costs only giants can afford are a moat, not a safeguard. The paper wants disclosure, not a freeze.
Source material: “Despair over future fuels political anxiety for college students on the cusp of adulthood,” PBS.
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