MANILA, Philippines — The 2025 midterm elections ended with surprising results largely credited to the influence of young voters. Nevertheless, sociologist Athena Charanne Presto cautions that attributing these outcomes solely to the youth vote might oversimplify matters.
The highly expected confrontation between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s team and Vice President Sara Duterte's faced an unexpected turn with the surprising victories of senators-elect Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan.
Some—including Senator-elect Ping Lacson, who was part of Marcos’s ticket—and organizations like the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections attributed the victory of the opposition to the significant influence of young voters joining the Magic 12. In conclusion, 60% of the people who voted Are millennials and Generation Z.
However, Presto contests this view. Firstly, she contends, the term "youth" lacks consistency in its definition.
Presto says they lump together the young people as part of Generation Z and Millennials, Philstar.com .
As an example, the Pew Research Center identifies millennials as individuals born between 1981 and 1996, with Generation Z comprising people born from 1997 to 2012. According to these classifications, the eldest millennials—who will be 44 years old this year—are not considered part of the "youth" demographic according to governmental standards.
Furthermore, the perspectives of these two generations differ significantly because they have had distinct life-shaping experiences. Within Generation Z, where involvement is being discussed, there’s variation in how politically engaged people are, particularly amongst those who are younger.
"I mostly converse with Generation Z, and I find that the political expressions among young people remain quite restricted. These limitations stem largely from their financial worries," she stated.
A lot of individuals continue to rely on financial assistance from their parents and worry that voicing their political views might lead to a cutoff of these allowances. Additionally, they could be reluctant to go against established cultural practices for fear of seeming rude or disloyal to their elders.
Presto also noted a broader literacy issue amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic’s digital divide: while some youths were able to adapt to remote setup, those in rural areas struggled to keep pace in their studies.
To put it briefly, the young generation should not be generalized.
“Let’s not overlook the reality that the youth are incredibly diverse. Yet, they often seem quite uniform,” Presto stated.