Democrats Rock the Vote
on Campuses
By Michael Hais and
Morley Winograd
More than twice as many
18-29 year olds voted
for President Barack
Obama as for John McCain
in 2008, and one year
later the party
preferences of college
students remain
similarly lopsided in
favor of the Democratic
Party and its political
point of view.
The most recent data
from communication
research company Frank
N. Magid Associates'
show an equal percentage
of students, 18 and
older, call themselves
liberals or progressives
(31%) as describe their
political philosophy as
moderate (30%). By
contrast, only 20%
describe themselves as
conservative, while
another 20% haven't
learned enough in
college yet to say just
what their ideological
orientation is. Survey
research data from 2008
and 2009 actually showed
self-described moderates
as the most common
philosophical
designation by
Millennials, born
between 1982 and 2003,
with liberalism in
second place. But those
studies included
Millennials who were not
on campus, which
suggests either that
college students are a
more liberal bunch than
non-students by nature
or there has been
further movement toward
liberalism among
Millennials during the
first year of Obama's
presidency.
Almost all students on
campus today are members
of the Millennial
Generation and bring
that generation's
commitment to civic
engagement and consensus
decision making to the
political process.
Unlike many members of
Generation X or Baby
Boomers who preceded
them, a majority of
Millennials believes in
using government to help
address societal
problems and economic
inequality. These
philosophic touchstones
form the basis of their
political identification
and belief system.
Millennials were
inclined to be Democrats
before Obama ran for
presidency and both his
campaign and his
presidency have
solidified that
tendency. Beginning in
2006 as Millennials made
their presence known
among 18-29 year old
voters, partisan
identification among
this age group moved
from a roughly 50/50
split to a clear
preference for the
Democratic Party. In
2008, Millennials voted
more than 2:1 for Obama
over McCain (66% vs.
32%) and by roughly the
same percentage (63% vs.
34%) for Democratic
congressional
candidates. Magid's 2010
data shows this same
level of Democratic
identification
persisting among
Millennials who are
attending college. Twice
as many college students
call themselves
Democrats as Republicans
(47% vs. 24%). Only 15%
are independents, with a
similar percentage
unwilling to identify
with any of those three
choices.
These numbers suggest
the Young Republicans
have a lot of work to do
just to break even,
while Young Democrats
should have a rockin'
good time of it on
college campuses across
America.
