Opposite Sides of the Aisle
Photo by DonkeyHotey on Flickr
With each election cycle, more of Gen Z is aging into the American electorate. With the influx of Gen Z voters getting involved in the world of politics, political divides are becoming increasingly apparent. As the generation’s presence at the ballot box has grown, so has evidence that its political identity is far from uniform. Divides are popping up among many demographics, further polarized by certain hot-button issues.
But even those numbers fail to capture a significant divide within the age group. The same poll found that, while 45% of young men approved of Trump’s job performance, only 24% of young women did — a 21-point difference.
A poll from The 19th and YouGov further illustrates this divide, finding that Gen Z women are more likely than Gen Z men to consider themselves feminist, identify as liberal and Democrat, support abortion access and believe society should not return to traditional gender norms.
As political differences emerge within Gen Z, social media provides a constant space for those differences to be freely expressed, debated and often amplified.
Here at Marist University, two students sit at the center of the divide.
On paper, Christian Olak ‘28 and Christopher DeVizio ‘27 are meant to disagree. While Olak recently stepped into the role of president of the Marist Democrats, DeVizio is in his second year leading the Marist Republicans. Both presidents are majoring in political science, and both have found a place for their political interests within Marist’s political landscape.
DeVizio describes Marist’s political landscape as “largely tame,” stating that, in his experience, students don't tend to form their relationships around politics. Political conversations still happen, but he sees them more often between individuals and friend groups than through large-scale political activity on campus.
When it comes to political expression in the classroom, the two presidents have had somewhat different experiences.
From what DeVizio has seen, most students are able to express their political opinions inside and outside of the classroom, specifically citing his experiences in political science courses.
“Students, I don't think, fear saying anything,” DeVizio said.
Most of his professors welcome political discussion, he said. But he is aware that his experience may not be that of all students at Marist, as he believes some students may refrain from speaking during class discussions due to their political opinions.
Olak’s interpretation of the classroom environment is somewhat different. He believes that within Marist’s liberal arts courses, some right-leaning students refrain from speaking up when they feel their views are in the minority.
Despite their different perceptions of students’ comfort expressing political opinions, both presidents describe a campus where political engagement is often less visible than students' underlying beliefs.
“Students are able to express themselves if they want to, but most students don't,” DeVizio said, pointing to the lack of large-scale demonstrations or protests on campus.
Olak similarly described Marist as less outwardly political than nearby colleges, namely Vassar College and SUNY New Paltz, arguing that the university’s more isolated campus can make it easier for students to disengage from politics happening outside of it.
The national political divide between young men and women is also something Olak and DeVizio view differently when looking at Marist.
Olak sees signs of that divide on campus. The Marist Democrats, he said, tend to attract more women than men, although he acknowledged that Marist’s student body is predominantly female. He believes part of the broader divide stems from the way political messages are presented to young men, arguing that Democratic messaging can sometimes alienate them while male-oriented political influencers provide an alternative on the right.
DeVizio, however, is hesitant to apply the national trend directly to Marist. While he acknowledged a clear political gender divide among young people nationally, he said he has not seen enough evidence to say the same about students on campus.
“I don't think there is a gender divide, on our campus at least,” DeVizio said, citing his group’s attendance demographics. Since the Marist Republicans meet on Thursdays, when many other clubs also meet, he believes this greatly impacts attendance.
Their differing perspectives illustrate the difficulty of applying national trends to the political climate of one college campus, especially with Marist’s predominantly female student population. But when it comes to how students with different political views interact with one another, the two presidents find more common ground.
Neither president views political disagreement as an automatic barrier between students.
DeVizio said some of his closest friends hold political views very different from his own, but those disagreements can instead become opportunities for conversation.
“It's not like winners and losers,” DeVizio said. “It's more of, ‘Hey, why do you think the way you do?’”
Olak similarly believes Marist students may have more political common ground than they recognize.
“I think a lot of kids on this campus have the same views when it comes to things,” Olak said. “It's just they don't realize it because of the way that it's presented to them.”
Both presidents also recognize their clubs as safe spaces for debate, discussion and political engagement. Olak and DeVizio both hope to foster a willingness to engage with opposing viewpoints in their own organizations.
Olak emphasized that students do not have to identify as Democrats to attend meetings of the Marist Democrats. He said the organization welcomes disagreement and that, during his three years with the club, he has not seen a student shunned for expressing a different opinion.
DeVizio similarly pushed back against the idea that the Marist Republicans operate as an echo chamber. Students who disagree with the club's positions are still welcome to attend, he said, and disagreement can sometimes lead members to reconsider or better understand their own positions.
While the polling shows political divisions within Gen Z, both presidents described opportunities for students at Marist to express differing political views. For both presidents, disagreement is to be expected. What matters most is whether students are willing to have the conversation anyway.