Timeline for Are millennials and generation Z more politically conscious than previous generations?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 at 7:50 | comment | added | Evargalo | "all other age groups follow a similar trend" -> but the 65+ group, which follows a different pattern (with a steady increase in participation) | |
| Mar 28 at 15:19 | comment | added | Barmar | As stated in the very first sentence of the answer. Since we can't measure consciousness easily, we use activity as a proxy. | |
| Mar 28 at 11:01 | comment | added | user49284 | This graph may illustrate variations in how politically active different age groups have been, but says very little about how politically concious they have been. | |
| Mar 28 at 7:56 | comment | added | wrod | re: "Political consciousness" is hard to measure directly." That's almost an understatement when it comes to generational divide. Older people are, by definition, more experienced by the virtue of having lived through more and having had more time to learn about the world. So an apples to apples comparison is impossible here. One can try comparing people of the same ages throughout different times, but that's also influenced by changes in technologies used to access information. The question is almost guaranteed to be subjective (although it is interesting obviously). | |
| Mar 27 at 19:29 | comment | added | ohwilleke♦ | @PeteW There is less data on primary election participation and it isn't consistent nationally since the process is different from state to state, or from election to election, because often one or both primaries aren't seriously contested. | |
| Mar 27 at 19:28 | comment | added | ohwilleke♦ | Worth noting that the drop in the youth vote early on was due to the reduction of the voting age from age 21 to age 18. | |
| Mar 27 at 17:07 | comment | added | Pete W | In the US, I'd look at participation rates in primary elections. That's where the intra-party shifts that really dictate generational changes in policy, have a potential connection to the public. The general election is reduced to a 1-bit process, and cuts out most states or congressional districts from being venues in policy debate (since most states and districts aren't competitive). | |
| Mar 27 at 15:37 | comment | added | AmiralPatate | @codeMonkey If by "young'ens" you mean under-65s, then maybe. Because only the 65+ group isn't showing that trend. | |
| Mar 27 at 14:56 | comment | added | codeMonkey | 1996 and 2012 are the second terms for Clinton and Obama, and then 2000 and 2016 were open elections after a period of Democratic rule - and those are the 4 lowest voter turnouts for the 18-24 group in the last 30 years. Looks to me like the young 'ens really don't like Reps being in charge, but get complacent when Dems are running the show. | |
| Mar 27 at 14:47 | comment | added | David Hammen | @ATL_DEV I suspect that in the US, Donald Trump has motivated a lot of younger adults to become more politically aware (and to vote), and probably not in the way Mr. Trump would want them to vote. | |
| Mar 27 at 13:59 | comment | added | David Hammen | @ATL_DEV That would be my generation, toward whom I know there is a lot of dislike. (I'm a boomer.) We were a very politically active generation when we were young. I have to wonder myself WTF happened to my generation. | |
| Mar 27 at 13:54 | comment | added | ATL_DEV | Wow! Not only is it most apparent, it's occurring during a time of relative peace when there's no major war or draft. It would be safe to say nothing gets you up off your ass and into a voting booth like the prospect of being sent to a battlefield. | |
| Mar 27 at 9:45 | history | answered | Philipp♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |