PBS NewsHour

In the last three elections, voter turnout has hit record highs among those born after 1997 – the generation known as Gen Z.

A new book, “The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy” looks at how Gen Z differs from other generations.

PBS News Weekend’s John Yang spoke with author and political scientist Melissa Deckman about the effect younger voters are likely to have on the both the upcoming presidential election and American politics for years to come. “No generation is politically monolithic,” Deckman told Yang.

And when it comes to understanding Gen Z’s political priorities Deckman says, generally speaking, “we should expect Generation Z, I think, to move our politics in a more center-left left direction moving forward, because those are the issues that they really care about.”