Millennial Voters think Globally, Not about their Pocketbooks

Posted On October 30, 2012

In an earlier post, we looked at the disconnect between Millennials’ nearly 2-to-1 support for the incumbent and their economic condition (struggling), which would typically incline them to vote against the incumbent. We noted that Millennials are not as dissatisfied with their status as many might believe and are driven in large part by social issues. Now, a survey by The Intelligence Group sheds some additional light by showing that Millennial voters are focused on the wider world and social causes more than their own economic condition.

According to the survey, 73% of Millennials will base their vote for president on which candidate will make the world better rather than the one that will improve their personal situation. While they rank the economy among their top three issues along with education and the environment, only the latter two issues are listed among their top three causes along with “ending poverty.”

Asked to identify “hot” issues, Millennials named four environmental issues among their top six, along with a children’s charity and the yoga movement. Underscoring their attraction to “causes” over and above personal economics, 56% said they would take a pay cut to do something that changed the world for the better.

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2012/10/24/Generation-Y-Report-Slacktivist-102412.aspx

Categories: Menu 1, Recession Economy, Voting Behavior