Nearly 50 million people in the United States aged 18 to 29 will be eligible to vote in the 2026 midterm elections. In a new survey of Gen Z adults by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, nearly three-quarters of both LGBT and non-LGBT respondents reported a greater than 50% chance of voting, and six in 10 LGBT respondents said they will definitely vote in the midterm elections.
When asked what qualities would make them most likely to vote for a candidate, about two-thirds (67%) of all respondents—including 76% of LGBT Gen Z—said a candidate who shares their values would make them most likely to vote for that candidate. Far fewer respondents chose a candidate who shares their identity or demographic background (16%).
Williams Institute scholars developed the survey to examine the preferences and priorities of LGBT and non-LGBT Gen Z adults ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. About seven in 10 LGBT respondents said they would vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress if the election were held today, compared with about five in 10 among non-LGBT respondents.
Rising costs and affordability were major concerns across Gen Z respondents. An overwhelming majority (87%) said that rising prices, inflation, and the cost of housing are urgent crises or serious issues. But priorities diverged on other issues. LGBT Gen Z respondents were substantially more likely than their non-LGBT peers to call access to affordable health care an urgent crisis or serious issue (92% vs. 78%). LGBT respondents showed a similar gap on climate change (88% vs. 69%) and reported an even wider gap on the need for LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination laws (85% vs. 50%).
“Gen Z is sometimes described as less engaged in politics, but these findings show a politically tuned-in generation,” said lead author Nathan Cisneros, Program Director at the Williams Institute. “Drilling down, we found that LGBT Gen Z shares its generation’s economic concerns and appetite for civic engagement, but we also found stronger party preference, political orientation, and the salience of certain social issues for this demographic group.”
LGBT Gen Z respondents reported higher rates of civic and political participation than their non-LGBT peers over the past year, from volunteering for campaigns to encouraging others to vote. More than half of all Gen Z respondents said that engaging in activities alongside their peers and being personally invited by a friend, family member, or peer would increase their likelihood of participating in politics.
“As Gen Z’s share of the electorate grows in the coming years, the qualities expressed by these LGBT Gen Z respondents will shape political discourse and electoral outcomes,” said co-author Laurel Sprague, Research Director at the Williams Institute. “It is vital that political candidates address Gen Z’s concerns and work to encourage their political participation.”
The Williams Institute’s survey was fielded online by Verasight between July 14 and July 28, 2026, to U.S. adults aged 18 to 29. The final sample included 924 validated responses, with an LGBT oversample. The approximate model-based margin of error for this survey was 5.29%.