Millennials have a dim view of America’s future, according to Harvard
'[I]t seems like everything is going to crap for my generation. Crappy jobs, huge debts, inability to start families or have homes.'
Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government released a new national poll Wednesday analyzing millennials’ political opinions, hopes and fears leading up to Election Day. The university’s Institute of Politics surveyed 2,150 young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from October 7 to October 17. Here are three key takeaways from their findings.
Hillary Clinton is leading Donald Trump by 28 points among millennials
The Harvard researchers said 49 percent of likely voters reported they support the Democratic candidate, while 21 percent said they would back the Republican businessman on Nov. 8. Fourteen percent of millennials said they would vote for Independent Gary Johnson, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein got five percent. The remaining 11 percent were still undecided. The view of Clinton among millennials has improved since this summer, said John Della Volpe, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics Polling. “This election would be far closer if not for her support with this demographic,” he said.
Most millennials are ‘fearful’ about the future
Fifty-one percent of young people surveyed reported that they were “fearful” about the future of the country, while just 20 percent said they were “hopeful.” Della Volpe said the fears were connected to the demographic’s concerns about being able to achieve the American Dream.The two most “fearful” groups were white women (60 percent) and white men (54 percent). The researchers said one participant told them: “There is no more voice in Washington for the American people. It is all about money and who can milk the government for more. Our government has lost touch with the American People. Electing a president is not going to fix anything when you have the Senate and the House more crooked then either candidate for the presidency.”Another said, “[I]t seems like everything is going to crap for my generation. Crappy jobs, huge debts, inability to start families or have homes.”
Hispanic and African American millennials feel like they’re ‘under attack’
A majority of African American millennials — 85 percent — told pollsters they felt under attack. Seventy-two percent of young Hispanics reported the same feeling. Less than half of white millennials, or 45 percent, reported feeling that white people were “under attack.”The researchers also found that there is little confidence that race relations will improve should Clinton be elected, with just 23 percent saying things would improve, while 36 percent think things will stay the same. Under a Trump presidency, however, 62 percent of millennials said they believe race relations will worsen, while 12 percent said things would stay the same and eight percent said things would improve. “With the increasing violence seen in terrorism and racial disputes I am concerned with the increase in violence as a result of these issues,” one participant in the survey said. Check out the full results of the poll here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com