Section 1_ How Generations Have Changed _ Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
1/2/14
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
N O V E MBE R 3, 2011
T HE GEN ERA T I O N GA P A N D T HE 2 0 1 2 EL EC T I ON
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed
The age differences in political attitudes and v oting choices in the past three election cy cles hav e been driv en by three broad social and political trends. The first is the growing racial and ethnic div ersity of the country , reflected in the rising percentage of non-whites among y ounger age cohorts. Non-whites hav e been far more supportiv e of the Democratic Party in the last sev eral decades. Among members of the Silent generation today , 7 9% are non-Hispanic whites; among the
Millennial generation, just 59% are non-Hispanic whites.
A second factor is the political env ironment ex perienced by successiv e generations as they hav e come of age politically . The relativ e popularity of the president and the two major political parties at the time an indiv idual turns 1 8 has clear consequences for their v oting preferences in subsequent elections.
A third factor is the broader societal changes that occur within a generation’s life cy cle. These changes hav e a bigger impact on the political v iews of y ounger people, who are still in the process of forming opinions. Older people are more likely to reflect the v alues prev alent when they were growing up. The greater acceptance of homosex uality and interracial dating among y oung people than older ones today are ex amples of this.
www.people-press.org/2011/11/03/section-1-how-generations-have-changed/
1/11
1/2/14
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
(http://www.people-press.org/2 01 1 /1 1 /03 /thegeneration-gap-and-the-2 01 2 -election-3 /1 1 -3 -1 1 1 5/) The contrasting race and ethnic
compositions of the nation’s older and y ounger adults reflect ov erall change in the U.S., where
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
N O V E MBE R 3, 2011
T HE GEN ERA T I O N GA P A N D T HE 2 0 1 2 EL EC T I ON
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed
The age differences in political attitudes and v oting choices in the past three election cy cles hav e been driv en by three broad social and political trends. The first is the growing racial and ethnic div ersity of the country , reflected in the rising percentage of non-whites among y ounger age cohorts. Non-whites hav e been far more supportiv e of the Democratic Party in the last sev eral decades. Among members of the Silent generation today , 7 9% are non-Hispanic whites; among the
Millennial generation, just 59% are non-Hispanic whites.
A second factor is the political env ironment ex perienced by successiv e generations as they hav e come of age politically . The relativ e popularity of the president and the two major political parties at the time an indiv idual turns 1 8 has clear consequences for their v oting preferences in subsequent elections.
A third factor is the broader societal changes that occur within a generation’s life cy cle. These changes hav e a bigger impact on the political v iews of y ounger people, who are still in the process of forming opinions. Older people are more likely to reflect the v alues prev alent when they were growing up. The greater acceptance of homosex uality and interracial dating among y oung people than older ones today are ex amples of this.
www.people-press.org/2011/11/03/section-1-how-generations-have-changed/
1/11
1/2/14
Section 1: How Generations Have Changed | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
(http://www.people-press.org/2 01 1 /1 1 /03 /thegeneration-gap-and-the-2 01 2 -election-3 /1 1 -3 -1 1 1 5/) The contrasting race and ethnic
compositions of the nation’s older and y ounger adults reflect ov erall change in the U.S., where