Young and the Restless
By Kevin | Related entries in NewsThe NY Times released the findings this week to an internally sponsored poll of 659 young adults, most of whom will be eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election. The NYT/CBS News/MTV sponsored poll revealed some interesting trends, with the underlying pattern revealing an issue-by-issue favoritism towards social, economic and international Liberalism:
Forty-four percent said they believed that same-sex couples should be permitted to get married, compared with 28 percent of the public at large. They are more likely than their elders to support the legalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The findings on gay marriage were reminiscent of a survey of voters leaving the polls on election day 2004: 41 percent of 18-to-29-year-old voters said gay couples should be permitted to legally marry, according to an exit poll at the time.
In addition, 62 percent said in the current poll that they would support a universal, government-sponsored national health care insurance program; 47 percent of the general public holds that view. And 30 percent said that “Americans should always welcome new immigrants,� while 24 percent of the general public holds that view.
Their views on abortion mirror that of the public at large: 24 percent said it should not be permitted it all, while 38 percent said it should be made available, but with greater restrictions. Thirty-seven percent said it should be generally available.
And:
The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.
Nothing about this is necessarily a big surprise. Young people tend to be more Liberal, and with the exception of Reagan ‘84 and Bush ‘88 (think Alex Keaton), the youth vote has generally slanted towards the Democrats. However, the optimistic outlook on the Iraq War may surprise a few, considering the popular disapproval of the war. But this should be viewed as a mark of consistency in the data, rather than a random blip on the radar.
(Continue reading HERE)
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