President Joe Biden is losing favor with a key voting bloc of the Democratic Party: younger Americans.
A new poll from Gallup found U.S. adults from Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2004) have soured on Biden the most during his time in office. Sixty percent of Generation Z adults approved of Biden in the first six months of his administration, but now just 39 percent of the age group approve of the president—a decrease of 21 percentage points.
Young voters boosted turnout in the 2018 and 2020 elections, during which Democrats won back Congress and the White House. The group could play a major role in the upcoming midterm elections, as Democrats aim to keep their majority advantage on Capitol Hill.
But Gallup found Generation Z isn't Biden's only problem. Millennials have also turned on Biden, with his approval rating among those born between 1981 and 1996 dropping 19 percentage points. His standing among Generation X, the generation preceding millennials, also dropped 15 percentage points.
Older Americans, individuals from the Baby Boomer and traditionalist generations, have stayed the most consistent in their view of Biden. The president's approval rating among Baby Boomers has dropped 7 percentage points, while traditionalists have stayed the same at 48 percent approval.
There is one possible way for Biden to curry favor with younger Americans: canceling student loan debt.
The Biden administration recently announced that the current payment pause, which was set to expire on May 1, is being extended until August 31. The extension will affect more than 43 million Americans who have incurred student loan debt.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that Biden could decide on whether to cancel student loan debt by the end of the pause.
"Between now and August 31, it's either going to be extended or we're going to make a decision...about canceling student debt," Psaki said on the Pod Save America podcast.
A new survey from Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, found a majority of young voters in swing states are more likely to vote in 2022 if Biden cancels debt. Fifty-six percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 35 in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin said they would be more likely to vote should all student loan debt be canceled.
Biden has already erased approximately $16 billion in federal student loan debt and has said he is open to canceling more if Democrats in Congress send him a bill to sign.
Gallup polled 14,229 adults between January 21, 2021, to March 18, 2022. The margin of error for Generation Z is plus or minus 6 percentage points.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alexandra Hutzler is currently a staff writer on Newsweek's politics team. Prior to joining Newsweek in summer 2018, she was ... Read more
