} //-->
Frequency 2004
Home

Youth and Citizenship

Youth Issues

Youth Political Apathy

Possible Remedies

Recent Developments -->

Other Resources

Honors Thesis
Youth Sites Database

Powerpoint Summary
Contacts:

Prof. Lance Bennett
Mike Xenos
Christine Lee

[ Recent Developments]


..::: Recent Developments :::..


An important new development in the youth political engagement arena is the findings from a recent Harvard Institute of Politics study. The study identifies college students as a possible key swing vote in the 2004 presidential election. Some findings:
  • Almost 60% of college students say that they will “definitely vote” in 2004
  • 29% of college students are Democrats, 26% are Republicans, and 41% are Independents
  • 34% of college kids support President Bush and 32% support the Democratic candidate for the 2004 election.
These findings may be the key in getting candidates to actively pursue the youth vote. Dan Glickman, Director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, former US Cabinet Secretary, and member of Congress, says “This is an enormous reservoir of potential voters and volunteers, almost 10 million strong, who can be channeled to winning campaigns if they are nurtured. But candidates who ignore or alienate this demographic group risk losing their elections."

Another significant development is the potential for the Internet as a political organizing tool and also for garnering youth political engagement.




From the Harvard University Institute of Politics Press Release

[Excerpt]:

HARVARD SURVEY FINDS COLLEGE STUDENTS
A KEY DEMOGRAPHIC IN 2004 ELECTIONS

College students can be a potent political force in 2004, according to a national survey of undergraduates conducted by Harvard University's Institute of Politics. These "Campus Kids", the offspring of the Soccer Moms and Office Park Dads, are a persuadable group who are not yet slanted to one major political party or ideology.

"Campus Kids can be the key swing group of the 2004 elections if the campaigns and the candidates for office properly engage them," said Dan Glickman, Director of the Institute of Politics and a former US Cabinet Secretary and member of Congress. "This is an enormous reservoir of potential voters and volunteers, almost 10 million strong, who can be channeled to winning campaigns if they are nurtured. But candidates who ignore or alienate this demographic group risk losing their elections."

Campus Kids, the political offspring of Soccer Moms and Office Park Dads, can be the key swing group in next year's Presidential election:

  • Almost 3 in 5 undergraduates (59%) said they will "definitely be voting" in the 2004 general election.

  • College students are divided virtually evenly on party affiliation: 29% Democrats, 26% Republicans, and 41% Independents.

    Campus Kids are persuadable in the next Presidential election:

  • When Campus Kids are asked their preference in a 2004 horserace, 34% supported President Bush and 32% supported the Democratic candidate. In contrast, an April 2003 CNN/USA Today poll of the general population found President Bush has a 13% advantage over a generic Democratic candidate.

  • Campus Kids approve of the job President Bush is doing (61% approve/32% disapprove) and believe the country is going in the right track (58% right track / 31% wrong track).

  • Undergraduates are concerned, however, about the economy and 74% believe it will be difficult to find a permanent job after graduation.

    Campus Kids do not fall into one ideological category:

  • Overall, 36% of students consider themselves liberal and 32% consider themselves conservative. Twenty-nine percent describe themselves as moderates.

  • When considering economic issues, more undergraduates consider themselves conservative than liberal (31% conservative vs. 25% liberal). On social issues, however, the reverse is true (37% liberal vs. 25% conservative).

  • Campus Kids are nearly identical to the general population on many hotbutton issues. When considering abortion, 26% of undergraduates believe abortion should be legal under all circumstances, compared to 23% of the general population. Sixty-one percent of college students oppose the legalization of marijuana, compared to 59% of the general population.

    Hawks outnumber Doves 2:1 on college campuses:

  • Two-thirds of students surveyed supported the United States going to war in Iraq, including 37% who strongly supported the effort. Only 30% opposed the U.S. going to war (14% strongly opposed).

  • But 61% of students believe that the UN should play the major role in rebuilding Iraq with U.S. assistance, compared to 41% of the general population. In addition, only 47% of undergraduates think a large number of U.S. soldiers should remain in Iraq after the war to maintain peace, compared to 69% of all adults.

    The full report is available online at www.iop.harvard.edu/2003survey.pdf

    The topline data is available online at www.iop.harvard.edu/2003toplines.pdf

    The Institute of Politics ("IOP") survey of 1,201 undergraduates across the United States was conducted between April 22 to 30, 2003 and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.8% at the 95% confidence level.

    [ Back to Top ]



    From Youth Vote News

    Secretaries of state work on joint effort to boost youth vote

    July 28, 2003
    By Associated Press

    Top state election officials agreed on Sunday to sponsor a youth voter education summit in the nation's capital next winter, pushing a program aimed at stimulating political participation by a lagging segment of the American electorate.

    The National Association of Secretaries of State, meeting in Portland, also prepared to release a survey of its own, in cooperation with the Youth Vote Coalition, that highlights states' efforts to counter young voters' apathy.

    The survey, scheduled to be introduced formally this week as the secretaries' organization wraps up its summer meeting, shows that nearly three-quarters of the states conduct youth outreach programs of some kind.

    Arizona is among a number of states that send birthday cards to residents when they turn 18, encouraging them to vote. New Hampshire has held "Youth Democracy" essay competitions. Voter registration drives in Kansas target state fairs. Maine holds mock elections and offers citizenship awards.

    Many states also join in partnerships with outside groups, including National Student/Parent Mock Elections, Kids Voting USA and Rock the Vote.

    But, according to the secretaries' organization, only about one-third of 18-to-24-year-olds turned out to vote in 2000.

    "This alarmingly low turnout record - part of a 25-year trend of decline - gives many state election officials cause for alarm," wrote Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, the incoming president of the secretaries' organization, and Veronica De La Garza, executive director of the Youth Vote Coalition.

    "When those numbers are coupled with the fact that most high school students have never set foot inside of a polling place, the future of American democracy seems pretty bleak," Kiffmeyer and De La Garza wrote in summarizing the new survey's findings.

    The secretaries' organization, whose current president is Maine Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky, issued a New Millennium Report in 1998 that suggested traditional motivational strategies appeared to be inadequate when it came to younger voters.

    The New Millennium program now focuses on states' best practices as part of information sharing.

    The summit planned for February, said project director Kay Albowicz, will invite leading academic researchers to address youth voter topics. The timing, she noted, would coincide with the peak of presidential primary season.

    More immediately, Gwadosky said state officials are closely tracking steps to implement the new federal election reform bill, the Help America Vote Act.

    Other issues on the secretaries' agenda included electronic government services, campaign finance and homeland security activities in the states.

    [ Back to Top ]



    Circle Fact Sheet: How Young People Express Their Political Views

    [ Back to Top ]