On November 3, NPR featured a story on the Pew Research Center's report on how different generations currently view politics. As the story points out, older generations (such as the "silent generation") tend toward more conservative politics, and younger Americans (the "millennials," the generation including you) lean liberal. A simple explanation, as we discussed in class, is that liberals tend to see change as progress and conservatives tend to view current policy as tried and tested. The data provided by the study, however, adds to our understanding.
The following day, NPR followed up with a story suggesting how this might impact the upcoming presidential election. As this story explains, the millennial generation - despite the general observation that younger Americans are disengaged from the political process - was significantly involved in Barack Obama's election. Obama's support from the youngest group of voters was unprecedented and an important element of his success in 2008. Not only did young voters tend to vote for Obama, they turned out to vote like never before, and they volunteered and supported Obama beyond their votes.After listening to (or reading) both these stories, write a brief reflection on what it helps us understand regarding the role of age in politics. In your response, consider the some of the following:
- Why do you think Obama was successful in motivating young voters when past presidents has struggled to gain their support or have even neglected them as a demographic?
- How will the current political agenda affect who turns out to vote? What issues will Obama or the Republican candidate need to emphasize to motivate their base constituents?
- Based on your answer to that, who do you think will be more effective?
- How can we explain the significant differences between how the different generations view and trust government? Why is their such a difference in how the generations view America in the world? (see American exceptionalism)
- Makes some predictions about the upcoming election. Is there a Republican candidate who you see as best situated to capitalize on what these studies suggest? Is this good news for either party?
- Any other observations or conclusions? What in these studies is most important, interesting, or surprising?
