As members of the class of 2015 graduate, they will be entering society and their civic duties as the new generation of voters. What are their points of reference?
Thanks to the Humanities Department at Beloit College, we have access to The Mindset List, an annual compilation of what they knew growing up. It can give pause to we elders who do not have the same experience as those in their early 20s.
Politicians who do not want to sound pandering, senile or irrelevant should study the list to reach out to this growing segment of the population.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 21.2 percent of eligible voters are now in the 19-29 age range. Older voters turn out in larger numbers at the polls but, as a group, they are dwindling. An issue or candidate who excites the younger voters might drive up their participation at the ballot box.
The first thing to study is their institutional memory. Most of this year’s college graduating class was born during Bill Clinton’s administration. They experienced nothing prior. Ronald Reagan is ancient history, and George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter are benign elderly men who appear on TV doing charitable work. Mention LBJ and they think you’re referring to LeBron James. And many would be shocked to learn that George Stephanopoulos worked at the White House before he became a familiar face on television.
These graduates were born as the computer age reached maturity, and they have taken for granted instant 24-hour access to news and information. They have never waited for dial-up Internet nor have ever used a dial telephone. For that matter, they have never had to dial a TV channel.
Most have never handled a tome like an encyclopedia or almanac because they can do Google research and instantly get current information, which isn’t dated from the moment it goes to press. Many have never turned the pages of a printed newspaper or magazine because they have always had access to links from social media to online stories and e-zines.
Their views on gender issues are different from their elders. There have always been women on the Supreme Court and in the military. They have known and accepted openly gay classmates and do not understand the former military policy “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Depending on their parents’ denomination, many assume that a woman minister or rabbi is normal and nothing worth noting. Some have served as altar girls.
Their communication is texting, tweeting and Facebook where they are more prone to absorb ideas than a face-to-face chat. Someone not on social media is as much a non-person as a wallflower was to their grandparents.
Are you feeling old and out of it?
For the running of government and the political process to get there, this is important.
A fifth of all eligible voters are now under 30. Depending on the demographics of a district, they can be the swing voters in a close election, especially in urban areas where youths in entry-level jobs gravitate.
Nationally, this might cause a seismic shift, especially within the Republican Party.
An Azimuth Poll during the 2012 presidential election studied population demographics as well as voting trends and concluded that unless the GOP attracted a large influx of young voters it would die of natural causes.
“The Republican Party is not a party of the young,” wrote Azimuth, noting that the party’s base voters “are quite old.” It should be noted that Azimuth is a Republican polling firm, so the observation is not negative propaganda from the other side nor wishful thinking by opponents.
Demographically, the poll reported, “the party will probably lose over a third of its members to old age in the next 20 years.”
For political survival, it is important that the political class adapt to the changing times and make a serious effort to reach out to young voters as they enter the electoral population.
Vic Berardelli is a retired political consultant and author of “The Politics Guy Campaign Tips – How to Win a Local Election.” Now an unenrolled independent, he is a former member of the Maine Republican State Committee and Republican Liberty Caucus National Board.