By Jeanne Shaheen and John Della Volpe
Printed in The Boston Globe on May 1, 2007
THE RECENT installment of the Harvard University Institute of Politics' survey of Politics and Public Service, shows much has changed since our first national poll of young people was taken during spring 2000.
Seven years ago, we were in the middle of the first dot.com economic cycle but also a cycle of record low turnout among college-aged youth who were disconnected from government and the political process. At that time, young people chose stock options and community service over politics, failing to recognize the long-term benefits gained by political action and civic engagement.
Much has changed over the course of seven years: the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and greater concern over global warming. But another thing that is different — perhaps due in part to some or all of these things — is the level of engagement of young Americans in politics. Since our first survey in 2000:
Voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States has grown from 36 percent in 2000 to 47 percent in 2004; young voters helped propel Democrats Jim Webb in Virginia and Jon Tester in Montana past Republican incumbents to secure Democratic control of the US Senate; and hundreds, if not thousands, of organic social groups of young Americans flourish online and offline in support of candidates or pressing policy issues.
Whether or not the boomers or the "Xers" are ready, members of the "Millennial Generation" — the group of American voters between 18 and 30 today — are preparing to make their voices heard again in 2008, perhaps louder than ever before.
But it is the 29 million people age 18 to 24 who are the focus of our most recent poll that have a new way of thinking about some of our nation's greatest challenges. Political candidates are starting to take notice.
Young people today have a strong multilateral world view on foreign policy. In stark contrast to their elders, nearly three out of four 18- to 24-year-olds believe the United States should let other countries and the United Nations take the lead in solving international crises and conflicts.
After Iraq, young voters consider genocide in Darfur the next big foreign policy priority for the US government — ahead of looming situations in Iran, North Korea, China, and Israel and its neighbors.
Religion and morality play strong roles in their political thinking. One of the most influential voting blocs in the next election cycle will be "religious centrists," who account for about one-in-five young voters and are defined by their concern for the moral direction of the country and the role that religion and faith play in their lives. Balancing conservative beliefs on our culture, same-sex marriage, and abortion with a more liberal outlook on the environment and healthcare coverage, the influence of religious centrists is likely to grow over time as they are also the group with the highest percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics.
Political campaigns are beginning to make youth outreach a priority. Many political candidates running for president in 2008 on both sides of the aisle have placed youth outreach coordinators on their staffs to tap the youth vote and are beginning to integrate media and social computing into strategies.
Young people may be ready to demand change again at the ballot box in 2008. Nearly six in 10 18- to 24-year-olds we surveyed believe the country is "off on the wrong track," a sentiment reflected throughout all pockets of the cohort, even among Republicans.
This latest survey of America's youth is our 12th in a project spanning thousands of interviews online and offline since 2000. We know that Millennials think, act, and vote very differently than the preceding "Xers" and the baby boom generation. This information is important to political candidates looking for success in 2008 — it's time for political leaders to take Millennials seriously or risk being left behind.
