Gen Z’s trailblazers cut an economic swath

In early January, when Democrats take control of Congress, they might look back on 2026 and recall two remarkable trends that could shape their party’s economic agenda.First, Americans under age 30 made the largest voting shift among major demographic groups in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. They swung their votes away from Republicans to Democrats by 34 percentage points compared with two years ago. Their biggest demand? Lower the cost of living.Second, the share of adults under age 35 who run their own business or side hustle reached over 23% last year, more than double the rate from a decade ago. Nearly two-thirds of them have started or plan to start a side hustle. Opinion surveys tracking members of Generation Z find a rising confidence in becoming business creators with an identity of purpose and autonomy, partly born from their embrace of artificial intelligence and from watching social media influencers. “They have a mindset of, like, ‘The outside world has always been crazy and will continue to be difficult. Yet I’ve already proven to myself that I can thrive in this,’” Mike Seckler, head of the human resources platform Justworks, told Fortune.More than two-thirds of Gen Z entrepreneurs say AI and other digital tools are important to their work. Among baby boomer entrepreneurs, less than a third say the same. Last year for the first time, more Gen Zers than baby boomers started a business. In the midterm elections, America’s democracy took yet another big turn. Part of this shift might be the democratization of entrepreneurship among young people who are helping drive the nation’s economic agenda. What do these self-employed Gen Zers think of proposals in Congress to, for example, raise the minimum wage, end trade tariffs against state-subsidized Chinese competitors, and curb AI’s growth by opposing large data centers? Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. For now, these Gen Z trendsetters are simply shaping an economic reality based on their ideals, imagination, and initiative. Both parties in Congress cannot ignore them. As Katherine Mead, age 28, who launched a platform this year to help teachers with AI-generated classroom materials, told The Wall Street Journal, “It feels a lot more empowering to be in control of your own employment and destiny.” ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.