Dysfunction in D.C. leads to soaring cynicism among Millennials
Political dysfunction in the nation鈥檚 capital is leaving its mark on the youngest generation of voting-age US citizens: Only 1 in 4 Millennials think the US is headed in the right direction.
Among Americans age 18 to 29, 48 percent think their vote will not make a real difference, up dramatically from 29 percent in 2012, according to released Tuesday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
This cynical attitude portends lower participation in future voting and civic participation for Millennials, who showed up in record numbers in the 2008 election, said Trey Grayson, director of the Institute of Politics.
鈥淲ith the hard choices that all of us need to make, it is more important than ever that young Americans are able to connect with and trust elected officials and public institutions,鈥� Mr. Grayson said in a statement. 鈥淭o ensure progress, our leaders in government need to set a positive tone and work together to show young people that Washington can again deliver results.鈥�
Millennials have become increasingly skeptical of the political process, said Alex Wirth, a Harvard sophomore and one of the project鈥檚 student committee members.
鈥淓ven young people who are politically active believe their votes won鈥檛 make a difference,鈥� Mr. Wirth said in a conference call Tuesday.
Trust that the nation鈥檚 major institutions 鈥� the US Supreme Court, president, Congress, Wall Street, and even the media 鈥� will 鈥渄o the right thing鈥� all or most of the time has declined among Millennials since 2010.
鈥淣early half of all Americans under 30 believe that the politics of today are not able to meet the challenges our country is facing. We have been warned,鈥� said John Della Volpe, polling director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, in a statement.
Along with the growing distrust of politicians and government institutions, Mr. Della Volpe said the survey also illustrates a deepening partisanship among young Americans: 85 percent of Millennial Democrats approve of the president compared with 11 percent of Millennial Republicans, the largest job approval divide the poll has seen for President Obama. One year ago, the divide was 63 percentage points.
鈥淎t no time since President Obama was elected in 2008 have we reported less trust, more cynicism and more partisanship among our nation鈥檚 youngest voters,鈥� Della Volpe wrote in . 鈥淵oung voters, like older Americans, are becoming more partisan by the day.鈥�
The expanding partisan gap can be seen in Millennials鈥� views on top issues including immigration, government spending, and gun control.
Immigration: In 2010, 23 percent of Democrats and 20 percent of Republicans agreed that recent immigration into the US had 鈥渄one more good than harm.鈥� And that divide increased to an 11-point difference in 2013 when 31 percent of Democrats and only 20 percent of Republicans agreed. Overall, 44 percent of Millennials believe that those currently in the country illegally should be afforded a path to citizenship as long as they do not have criminal records, have paid taxes, learn English, and pay a fine.
Government spending: The difference between Democrats and Republicans who agree that 鈥済overnment spending is an effective way to increase growth鈥� was 17 percentage points in 2010 (35 percent of Democrats versus 18 percent of Republicans). In 2013, the divide increased to 24 points with 36 percent of Democrats agreeing compared with 12 percent of Republicans. The economy remains the top concern for Millennials, and 鈥渃reating jobs and lowering the unemployment rate鈥� beat other issues 鈥� including education, gun violence, and immigration 鈥� in 75 percent of comparisons.
Gun control: The percentage of Democrats who believe that our gun laws should be more strict increased by 8 points since 2011 (from 61 percent to 69 percent), and the portion of Republicans who believe the same decreased by 7 points (from 27 percent to 20 percent). Overall, 49 percent of Millennials support stricter gun laws, 35 percent say no change is needed, and 15 percent say laws should be less strict.
The polling data is based on surveys of 3,103 US citizens, ages 18 to 29, and was conducted by research company GfK between March 20 and April 8. According to the survey, 37 percent consider themselves Democrats, 25 percent Republicans, and 37 percent independents.
