In September, Reuters reported that young men were starting to trend more conservative. In a study by the international research agency Glocalities, it showed that young U.S. men were the only population group in the US or seven EU member states in the study to become more conservative since 2014. Men aged 18 to 35 were polled.
But what about Americans who are not yet old enough to vote?
A new poll from ThinkYoung found that teenagers under 18 are split when it comes to party identity. This was pulled from 1,800 teenagers from across the U.S. who are too young to vote.
According to the findings, 24 percent of the teenagers said that the Democratic Party represented their ideals, while 24 percent said this of the Republican Party. Twenty-three percent of respondents said that neither party represented them. An additional 26 percent said that they were not sure which party they identify with.
“When asked about their political party preferences and affiliations, nearly 50% of respondents are either not sure which party better represents their views, or state that neither of the two major political parties does. With only 24% for either the Democrats or Republicans respectively, it seems teenagers hold the view that both major political parties are failing to address their values and concerns effectively,” the study said.
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If allowed to vote teenagers would have elected Kamala Harris (38 percent) over Donald Trump (35 percent) in the race for the White House, the poll showed.
By the issues, teenagers said inflation (49 percent), abortion rights (24 percent), and gun violence (19 percent), are the biggest issues facing the country.
On the issue of inflation, 56.3 percent of those polled trust President Donald Trump to make better decisions than Vice President Kamala Harris (43.67 percent) on the issue of inflation. Teenagers also said that Trump is stronger than Harris on taxes, crime, and immigration.
Overall, over half of 13-to-17 year olds believe that the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction.
“While it is rare to survey minors on their voting preferences, doing so can provide valuable insights looking forward: we can learn more about what is shaping their political views and assess their awareness and understanding of key social and political issues,” the authors wrote in the survey.
