Most young Americans say the Republican and Democratic party establishments don’t represent them, a critical data point after a year of ferocious presidential primaries that forced partisans on both sides to confront what — and whom — they stand for.
That’s according to a new GenForward poll that shows the disconnect holds true across racial and ethnic groups, with just 28 percent of young adults overall saying the two major parties do a good job of representing the American people.
The poll shows that despite this across-the-board feeling of disenchantment with the two-party system, the Democratic Party holds a clear advantage in appealing to young people of color. But among young whites, majorities feel left out by both parties.
More than two-thirds of young adults, including vast majorities of young Asian-Americans, Hispanics and blacks, say the Republican Party does not care about people like them.
Democrats fare a bit better among young people overall, with a small majority — 53 percent — saying the party cares about people like them. Among young African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans, most believe the party does care about people like them. But among young whites, majorities say both parties don’t care much about them, including 58 percent who say that of the Republican Party and 52 percent who say it about the Democratic Party.
GenForward is a survey by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The first-of-its-kind poll pays special attention to the voices of young adults of color, highlighting how race and ethnicity shape the opinions of a new generation.
The results of the survey of Americans age 18-30 reflect something of an identity crisis for both parties heading into the future, driven in part by deep antipathy toward the presidential candidates they nominated. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, the two least-popular presidential nominees in the history of modern polling, were opposed by large and bitter swaths of their parties.
Young people aren’t certain to fall in line behind the nominees, the survey found. Three-quarters of young adults say the billionaire real estate magnate is unqualified to be president even after he vanquished 16 GOP rivals. Half say the same of Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, after unlikely rival Bernie Sanders forced her to fight for the nomination for a year.
Emiliano Vera, 22, of Bushnell, Illinois, says he isn’t coming back to the Democratic Party that attracted him with Barack Obama’s nomination in 2008. Ideology this year drew him to Sanders. But disenchantment with what seemed like an obviously rigged nomination process in Clinton’s favor, he says, is what’s pushing him to the Green Party. Leaked Democratic National Committee emails confirmed for him that the party had their thumb on the scale for Clinton, Vera said.
“This is the last straw for me,” said Vera, part of the majority of young Sanders supporters on whom Clinton cannot depend for votes, the survey found. This year, he says, his friends agree that the Democratic Party generally is the “lesser evil” to the GOP’s Trump. But the future, he says, is a different picture.
But for all the disenchantment, young adults across racial and ethnic groups are mostly unfamiliar with their alternatives. Seven in 10 say they don’t know enough about Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson to have an opinion about him, and nearly 8 in 10 say the same about Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
The 18-30 age group tends not to be a conservative constituency, so the survey contains critical data particularly for Democrats and Clinton, who has said she knows she has “work to do” to appeal to the young people who flocked to Sanders during the primary.
Rachel Mace, 20, is an example of the challenge faced by Democrats and Clinton in particular. The Farmington, Michigan, resident supported Sanders and says she wants to see one party make “a meaningful commitment” to public financing of campaigns. She doubts she’ll ever see a party, or a candidate, seek that reform voluntarily.
“There’s more hope, I think, for the Democratic Party, but we’re going to have to force them,” Mace said. As for Clinton, “I find her to be incredibly corrupt.”
Young people across racial and ethnic groups were more likely to support Sanders than Clinton in their primary battle this spring, and among young Sanders supporters, less than half — 43 percent — say they’ll support Clinton against Trump in the fall election. Three percent say they’ll support Trump, with the rest saying they’re undecided, will vote for a third-party candidate or will not vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
George Washington did warn us of the dangers of political parties!
Please America, only we the american voter can put an end to the O’bama and Clintons crooked deeds. We must vote he and she out of Washington. Please listen to your mind and heart. If Trump is a fraud, wr can dump his ass in 4 years. But if you vote for Clinton, it will be like having O’bama for another 8 years. Our country can’t afford that mistake!!!! Please dump Clinton, make her pay for all of her theieven lyin deeds!!!
What you Millennials need to understand is neither party owes you any freebies. Most of you live in your mommy and daddies house and are pampered…..get out and get a life…….you are owed nothing. The real problem is you thinking the Democratic party is for you or on your side…….wake up, the Democrats could care less about you people or anyone else that does’nt support their party with big $$$$$$$……stop thinking they care about you because they don’t. You support these corrupt politicians and continue helping to vote these people in office and they continue to destroy our country. I think you are getting what you voted for..
Lying, thieving, murdering corrupt politicians……..GOOD JOB……MORONS!
DITTO.
This young generation thinks we older Americans are cynical and paranoid when we tell them both parties are exclusive clubs run by and for the club members. The average voter is expected to help fund the campaigns but not to expect anything in return other than lies and deceit. The members of Congress, some of the most corrupt of the exclusive club members, will lie and cheat and tell you what they think you want to hear to stay in office. Don’t worry about what they tell you, it isn’t true. And of course the president must be a master of deceit. He has to be a magician who can talk out of both sides of his mouth, shake hands with you with one hand and lift your wallet with the other. Bottom line is this. As Clint Eastwood just said, “Congress is a bunch of lazy bastards and the president should be kicking them in their ass to make them work.” Well you’ve seen how that’s worked for the last 7 years.
This country needs a reset. The Republican and the Democratic parties have driven this country into the ground. It’s time to disband both and start anew.
Thank you Farmer John! I couldn’t have said it any better.
TO go along with Farmer John, here we go again with a race battle. If the race that is crying and you know who you are, stop taking welfare, food stamps and get a real job and life.
Everything has to be a race thing when a election is in the mix. SO all the races involved, stop your crying and move on.
QUOTE Poll: Millennials HATE the establishment QUOTE
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All I can say is it’s about time.
But these millennials are willing to accept the freebies thrown their way. They need to realize that they will pay for these freebies many times over.
It would behoove every person that is breathing to set down and consider what this Country is made up of. Folks, We The People (who do care about America) are only ONE RACE and that being the AMERICAN RACE. I do agree with EVERY comment made here thus far and you young folks had better get your heads out of your forth-point-of-contact and learn something or else you will become vagabonds without a Country and certainly without the freedom that you have been blessed with all your miserable, unthankful lives………. Ps, the next time you crap-heads decide to burn and disrespect the American Flag I want you to remember that it does not represent any government…….. IT REPRESENTS EVERY CITIZEN THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER BORNE OR EVER WILL… So just remember it’s your own family as well as mine that is being ground in the dirt and insulted and walked on!
Adapt the EU model of multiple parties running for Office??
IE UK model??
Merge parties??
Left wing RNC merges with DNC.
Greenpeace ,Peace & Freedom merge with DNC??
or scrap DNC & RNC.
Sceap Electorial College 2 & Campaign Finance.
Change Politics from HS to College alone.