A Harvard Institute of Politics poll found something a bit interesting regarding Millennial voting patterns; younger ones aren’t as liberal. In fact, there’s less than a ten-point gap between those who identify as a Democrat or Republicans in the 18-20-year-old bracket. For older Millennials, aged 25-29, the split is starker, with them breaking for Democrats over Republicans 50/27.
Asma Khalid of NPR wrote that the younger millennials who aren’t as left leaning grew up in a different time, post-9/11 and in the midst of a major recession. Yet, once Millennials get a job and start making between $40k-60k a year support for income redistribution, and other liberal policies related to fiscal policy, drops precipitously.
Then again, Millennials are known for having political views that make no sense. Case in point, they generally support a large government, but when it comes to social security, they support–by a wide margin–the creation of private accounts. They support universal health care, but don’t like Obamacare. On the flip side, they also do not support affirmative action policies, labeling them “unfair.”
Let’s end this on a positive note. In 2012, Mitt Romney won the majority of the 18-20-year-old vote. Fifty-seven percent of 18-year-olds, 59 percent of 19-year-olds, and 54 percent of 20-year-olds all cast their votes for Romney. As Jon Sides, Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University, noted, this means Democrats could potentially have a young people problem of their own in future elections.
