For most residents 18-35, the dream of home ownership is dead, and rising costs of food and transportation hit hard as the state grows more unaffordable.
by Nate Sanford/ October 31, 2024 in Crosscut
Brandon Borg, 21, fills his gas tank in Everett, Oct. 24, 2024. Borg must drive long distances for work, and is worried about how the rise in gas prices will affect his ability to save money for his future. (Caroline Walker Evans for Cascade PBS)
Voters of all age groups say the economy is one of their top factors in deciding who to choose for Washington’s next governor. But the issue appears to be top-of-mind for younger voters — specifically the cost of basic necessities.
It makes sense: Young people are new to the workforce and typically make lower wages. They have less money saved, take on more credit-card debt and are more often renters.
“It’s like you scrape by for everything,” said Xihucoatl Alvarado, 24, a Seattle resident who works as a paid canvasser for Greenpeace. “You have to live with at least one roommate to make any ends meet out here.”
People of different ages have varied concepts about what it means to be worried about the economy, said Todd Donovan, a political science professor at Western Washington University.
Older people might associate the economy with questions like “What’s my investment portfolio doing?” Donovan said. Young people, however, tend to be focused on more immediate cost of living concerns like “Where am I going to be living next year?”
“Those are two very different worlds that people are living in,” Donovan said.
Young adults interviewed for this article all gave similar answers when asked about their biggest economic stressors: housing, food and transportation. (continued on page 2)