Younger voters, especially minorities, helped Barack Obama win the presidency twice, but after eight years they have less hope about their future, do not believe the American Dream is attainable and blacks and Hispanics feel under attack, according to a new Harvard University poll.
“We have more fear than hope,” summed up John Della Volpe, the polling director for Harvard’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
The poll shows millennials overwhelming choosing Hillary Rodham Clinton in the presidential race, and 49 percent plan to vote, but they don’t have an expectation that Clinton will change the partisanship in Washington.
Overall, the sense of dread and fear about their future stands out in the survey released Wednesday.
Much of their concern is over race relations and their economic future, according to the survey of 2,150 in the 31st version of the Survey of Young Americans’ Attitudes Toward Politics and Public Service.
Young whites are especially anxious about their future, with huge majorities believing that they won’t attain the American Dream and be better off financially than their parents. Previous Harvard IOP surveys have showed a lack of faith by millennials of key Washington institutions.
Among the highlights offered in a conference call with Harvard’s IOP:
— Majority of Youth are Fearful about the Future of America. When asked whether they are “hopeful” or “fearful” about the future of America, 51% of all 18 to 29 year olds indicated that they are more fearful. Every demographic surveyed felt more fearful, with white women (60%) and white men (54%) exhibiting the most anxiety. These concerns about the future of America are focused on the attainability of the “American Dream.” Less than one-in-three (32%) white females believe they will be better off financially than their parents, and 36% of white males feel the same way.
— Overwhelming Majority of Young People of Color Believe They Are “Under Attack” in U.S. Nearly nine in ten (85%) young African Americans believe that “people of [their] own racial background are under attack in America.” 72% of Hispanics feel the same, as do 45% of young white Americans. There is little confidence that race relations will improve dramatically under a potential Clinton administration (Improve: 23%; Worsen: 22%; Stay the same: 36%), but there was significant concern it could worsen under a potential Trump administration (Improve: 8%; Worsen: 62%; Stay the same: 12%).
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
