Tuned-out (17%) - None are registered to vote and giving a lot of thought into the election; the group least likely to be registered or paying attention to the election and the youngest of the groups.
Downbeat (26%) - 1/3 are registered and giving a lot of thought; The most pessimistic about the future and somewhat less likely to be engaged in the election.
Fired up (29%) - 2/3 are registered and giving a lot of thought; Registered to vote, paying a lot of attention to the election and firmly committed to a candidate.
Upbeat (29%) - All are registered and giving a lot of thought; the most optimistic about the future and favorably inclined toward both contenders.
Poll: 75% are registered - 73% say they will vote
Supporting Obama - 61%
- Among all polled, 71% favorable/23% unfavorable
Supporting McCain - 32%
- Among all polled, 43% favorable/45% unfavorable
Democrat - 40% Republican - 21% Independent - 36%
"Big Question: Will young people turn out to the polls?"
The support for Barack Obama was described as "...the most lopsided contest within an age group in any presidential election."
"From the opening caucuses in Iowa — where he organized at every college and many high schools — Obama has targeted young voters with his political messages and campaign methods. He has made unprecedented use of online fundraising to finance his campaign and social networking and text messaging to reach voters. Those techniques have underscored his connection with younger Americans."
"Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center calculates there are 58 million members of the Millennial generation eligible to vote this year, about one-quarter of the total electorate and second in size only to the aging Baby Boomer generation. Voters under 30 made up 14% of the those who voted in 2000; 16% in 2004."
My Analysis:
The article goes on to quote the director of CIRCLE, Peter Levine, who explained that in 2004 young voter turnout was the highest it has been in a while, and "as several of these happen in a row you start to wonder whether it's about the kids, not the candidate, at least to some degree."
I tend to agree that maybe, just maybe, our generation should be getting a bit more credit for higher civic participation than just attributing it all to Obamamania. Other civic measures are also increasing, he points out, such as volunteerism. The 2008 Civic Health Index demonstrates further that the millennial generation is more engaged than their immediate predecessors.
We know also that young people are less attached to their political party than older generations (over a third are registered Independents). Again, this should make us wary of attributing the excitement and participation to anything in a narrowly political context. The headline to the article is "Energized by Obama, voters under 30 show signs of shifting the electorate."
It may be true that young people support Obama more, but it is a completely separate argument to state that he is the sole or primary reason for increased youth civic participation. (Where was the polling that supports such a claim?) Just look at Ron Paul's candidacy. His presidential bid drew more young people than any other of his Republican colleagues because he too was perceived as a reformer and pragmatic decision-maker.
So I would caution the writer of the USA Today article about picking up on any "hints" of an electoral shift. The shift is not as much a partisan or ideological one as it is an anti-partisan/let's get things done/control our foreign policy/increase government transparency/communicate to us through our medium/end the influence of money and special interests/stop mortgaging our future - one. And whether its Barack Obama or Ron Paul or anyone else who offers that message, and offers it in a way we can relate to, we will support.
And to answer the BIG QUESTION: yes we can!
Uhmm, I mean will. YES WE WILL.
Posts
1 comment:
They tend to be preoccupied so they often do not show up on voting day if they have other things to do, like skateboarding, or beer drinking.
They also tend to be idealistic and mistake the socialist ideas of their professors as fulfilling their idealism.
One only has to look at the other worker's paradises brought to us by socialism to see how well it really worked.
With any luck, many will grow up to own something someday.
Post a Comment