In 2008, the young voter demographic was overwhelmingly Democratic, but according to a Pew Research Center survey there are significantly less young people identifying themselves as Democrats now.
Young voters, which are categorized between the ages of 18 and 29, typically hold very liberal positions on most issues, but the gap between Democrats and Republicans among young voters has shrunk from a 32-point margin in 2008 to a 14-point margin in the most recent Pew Research Center survey conducted at the end of 2009.
When asked what could have caused the significant decrease, Dr. Arnold Fleischmann,
Head of Eastern Michigan University’s political science department, said, “The economy is the main issue and the Democratic Party has been having a tough time conveying to voters that their policies are going to be most beneficial to people down the road.”
Fleischmann expects the parties to put far less emphasis on social issues and focus primarily on economic well-being in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The economy is especially a concern to students who are in the job market for the first time and unless affordability of education is stressed more by candidates, it will be the determining factor for which way young voters decide,” he said.
Examples of students on campus to whom the economy is a major concern are not hard to find.
Brian Nwagwu, a junior finance major, who identified himself as a Democrat, explained the main issues that influence his political views are employment and education. Nwagwu was unsatisfied with how politicians have done their jobs.
“Personally, I feel that everything they’ve done is just political and not about what is best,” he said. “Republicans oppose everything Democrats support just for the sake of being against Obama. Our elected officials need to unify themselves and start acting their age instead of their shoe size.”
Although students on college campuses across the country still tend to be more Democratic, the number of Americans identifying as Independent has been growing in recent years. LaPorscha Pittman, a senior majoring in public relations, was one such example.
“I do not identify with a party,” said Pittman. “I just do my research. It is about more than knowing a name or face. It helps to find out what candidates actually stand for so people can make informed decisions.”
Her sentiments toward the Democrat and Republican parties in general were explained when she simply stated, “Right now, our elected officials are just not doing their jobs.”
The Republican Party, though it is still not the most appealing to young voters, has seen growth among the younger demographic recently.
Alex League, a freshman majoring in paralegal studies, said, “I do not consider myself either Republican or Democrat, but I would say I lean more toward the Republicans.”
When asked what issues affected her political views, League said, “The main issue for me is healthcare. I was against the healthcare bill passed and my views have not really changed since it passed.”
Young people across the political spectrum have very a wide range of reasons for why their trust in government, whether it is in the Democratic or Republican parties, has shrunk.
Saeden Sepehri, a graduate student studying molecular biology, explained what she thinks can be done to improve students’ views of elected officials.
“If politicians want to connect better with young voters, then they should come face to face with us and actually meet the university students.”
