Young Americans Increasingly Associate Themselves With Democratic Party

Since 2006, young Americans — those between 18 and 29 — have increasingly?preferred the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, according to a new poll by Gallup.

For a whole decade, between 1993 and 2003, nearly half of all young people identified as either Democratic or left-leaning, while 42 percent of the same age group claimed Republicanism as their ideology of choice. But since 2006, that gap has dramatically widened. Fifty-four percent of young people now identify as left-leaning, while only 36 percent — nearly 20 whole percentage points lower — align themselves with Republicans.

One of the main reasons why younger Americans claim to be Democrat is because they perceive liberalism as more accepting of minorities, women, and LGBT members than conservatism. Since today’s citizens in the 18-to-29 age bracket are more diverse — racially, ethnically, and sexually — than those of previous generations, they see this inclusive attitude as a vital factor that influences their voting decisions.

But according to Gallup, race — when paired with youth — has less and less to do with political affiliation than in years past. Today’s young white Americans, more so than any other previous generation, are also leaning and voting left. Older white Americans — specifically those 65 years old and above — still tend to lean right.

The implications here should be obvious. If they expect to remain viable in a quickly changing America, the Republican Party and especially the Tea Party need to make a more concerted effort in reaching out to younger voters, those who might harbor an opposite perception than they do when it comes to race, ethnicity, and sexuality.

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Joseph Guyer?lives in Texas. An ad man by trade, he firmly agrees?with Bill Clinton that there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be cured by what is right with America. You can read more of his work at?Liberals Unite,?DemoNews, and?SenaReider. You can also follow him on Twitter?@joerobguy.

 

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Joseph Guyer resides in the reddest state in the Union, a wondrous place where pick-up trucks proudly display swinging novelty testicles, fried sticks of butter are deemed safe for human consumption, and female escorts can lawfully be shot for refusing to sleep with you. He firmly agrees with Bill Clinton that there is nothing wrong with America that can't be cured by what is right with America. You can find him on Twitter @joerobguy.