Generation Y voters leaning to the Right

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(fair use for education purposes only)

WASHINGTON -- A Medill News Service poll released today suggested that young Americans, having grown up in a time of unparalleled economic prosperity, are not as liberal as young Americans of the recent past. In fact, politically, the youngest generation of voters is more squarely in line with the whole of American society than conventional wisdom would suggest.

According to a nationwide poll of 1,008 young people conducted last month for Medill News Service by the nonpartisan research firm Campaign Study Group, vast majorities of 18- through 24-year-olds agree with George W. Bush on issues such as school vouchers and some aspects of abortion. And young people decidedly favored the Republican over Democrat Al Gore (44 percent to 32 percent) in November's presidential election.

Moreover, 30 percent of those polled think of themselves as conservative, while only 26 percent consider themselves liberal, numbers that match up with national averages in all age groups. And 42 percent of Generation Y said it at least leaned Republican, identical to the percentage of older adults, who said the same thing.

Those numbers, compared with a 1968 Gallup poll of 21- through 29-year-olds, show how much more conservative today's young voters are than their parents were at the same age. In 1968, 38 percent of young voters considered themselves Democrats, while only 24 percent considered themselves Republicans.

And a 1971 Gallup survey of college students showed that 35 percent considered themselves liberal; only 13 percent considered themselves conservative.

-- Generation Y Mom (TheKids@R.Alright), July 23, 2000

Answers

So will they lean further right as they get older, too?

If so, will they fall over?

(Someone has to step in for Robert while he's away! :-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), July 24, 2000.


Tricia, LOL..I thought that WAS Robert till I saw your name.

I hope they do continue to lean to the right! Leaning to the left will cause us to fall over!!! Leaning to the right will make us stronger!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), July 24, 2000.


At 200 mph with no brakes, and headed inevitably for a brick wall, the "left-right" debate takes on ever new levels of futility. Might as well just change stations on the radio, or pray for absolution,

or perhaps press the ejector-seat button...if you're prepared.

-- number six (#@#.org), July 25, 2000.


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