If millennials could pick their ideal candidate for 2016, it would be someone who doesn’t fit into any clear party mold. For instance, this hypothetical candidate would protect the Second Amendment, but require strict background checks for all gun purchases. Their first priorities in office would be to tackle the economy and jobs with conservative reforms, and aggressively transition the country to the use of clean or renewable energy sources. They would be conservative on the economy and foreign policy, and liberal on race relations and gay rights. These results hold true for both Democrats and Replications, ages 18 through 34, according to a USA TODAY/Rock the Vote Millennial Poll released on Monday.
Casey Given, the Communications Director for Students for Liberty, said the results of this new poll point to a libertarian trend that has been seen for nearly a decade now among young voters.
“The poll shows that the average millennial is likely to describe him or herself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal — in essence, a libertarian,” Given said. “While many young people may not be able to put their finger on the term ‘libertarian,’ it’s unquestionable that pro-liberty policies are popular among young people, from drug legalization to criminal justice reform. The Republican and Democratic Parties must come to terms with this undeniable trend to stay relevant in the future.”
Unsurprisingly, the poll results show that millennials are more left-leaning overall, 41 percent identify with the Democratic Party, while just 28 percent identify with the GOP. However, when it comes to specific policy areas, millennials are all across the board. On economic issues, the majority (38%) call themselves conservative; on foreign policy, most (37%) also identify as conservative, whereas, on social issues the majority (42%) lean liberal.
The poll found that the top issue for millennials was by far the economy, including concerns about jobs, the minimum wage, and paid leave. The second highest-ranking issue was college affordability and student loan debt, closely followed by foreign policy and terrorism.
Young America Foundation spokesperson Emily Jashinsky pointed out that millennials tend to agree with conservatives on the issues that they rate as most important.
“The results of this poll echo what many other polls have shown — young people care most about jobs, student loan debt, and the economy — and they tend to agree with conservatives on how to solve the problems associated with those issues,” Jashinsky said.
College Republican National Committee President Alex Smith said that the youth is shifting from the left of the ideological spectrum, more towards the middle.
“President Obama came to campuses eight years ago with a message of ‘hope and change,’ and sits in the office he holds today because of my generation,” Smith said. “Contrary to the lofty expectations he set in his campaigns, youth unemployment remains in the double-digits, while student, personal, and national debt have skyrocketed.” She added, “Most of the young Democrats they signed up in 2008 as a part of the Obama coalition now consider themselves to be independents.”
Among the current field of presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are leading their respective parties among millennial voters. Trump easily leads young Republicans and independents with 26 percent support, however his lead with younger voters is substantially less strong than his lead in national polls.
On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton, capturing 46 percent support from young Democrats and independents; however, Clinton has a strong lead over Sanders in the national polls.
“It’s no surprise that young voters are looking for candidates with new ideas and different backgrounds because they have never seen Washington work for them,” Smith said, adding that candidates will need to make an effort to communicate with these voters where they are: “online and on campus.”
