In June of 2019, we polled young Democratic Primary voters and found that they cared more about big, bold policy change than simply defeating Donald Trump. Now, the primaries are here and this issue-focus is still the driving force for young voters.
In our latest poll with HIT Strategies, we found that 59% of young people are likely to vote to make a difference on the issues that matter to them while only 39% are likely to vote to resist the actions of Trump and Republicans. Our poll also showed that 37% of young people do not identify as either party and 66% are dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
If candidates want to authentically connect with the largest voting bloc in the electorate, they must recognize the driving force behind a large part of our generation — the issues that matter most to us.
And while the media hypes our booming economy, that economy is not the reality for Millennials and Generation Z. 47% of survey respondents said they will be worse off financially than the previous generation. It does not come as a surprise, therefore, that the top policies for young people include reducing prescription drug costs, investing in public transportation, and offering trade certification programs in high school.
Young people have been feeling financially squeezed. That’s why the Alliance runs our Broke AF campaign alongside our civic engagement work. Just look at Engage Miami who is fighting against predatory development and gentrification in Little Haiti. Or New Era Colorado pushing legislation to support graduates making student loan payments in their first two years out of college.
As we watch the 9th Democratic Primary Debate tonight, we will be looking for how candidates talk about the issues young voters care about – check out some of what rose to the top and join us by sharing these full poll results ahead of the debate tonight.