According to a recent Newsweek poll, the majority of young voters approve of the job President Bush is doing in office, revealing a substantial number of 18- to 29-year-olds are poised to cast their vote to re-elect Bush this fall. Fifty-four percent of young voters say they approve of Bush’s job as president.
For many, the numbers are a surprising reflection on a demographic group typically considered liberal. However, some believe the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center caused young people to become increasingly conservative, supporting a strong defense and a more aggressive foreign policy.
“A lot of young people were deeply moved by Sept. 11,” former Republican candidate for Congress and University of Wisconsin history professor John Sharpless said. “I think it truly shocked them that the world could be that hostile to the United States.”
Anthony Carver, a UW College Republican, agrees that Bush’s leadership during the terrorist attacks is a huge pull for young people.
“I think the strong way he handled Sept. 11 is the thing that attracts a lot of young people,” Carver said.
According to Sharpless, there is strong evidence that patriotism among young people is higher than in decades past and that a significant number of people in the 18- to 29-year-old age pool supported the war in Iraq.
Fifty-seven percent of 18- to 29-year-olds approve of Bush’s job on foreign policy, as compared to 54 percent who like the president’s policies on the domestic front.
Students also may be attracted to conservative politicians like Bush as a way to “get in the face of the ‘PC’ atmosphere,” common on college campuses, according to Sharpless. Many students may feel that by becoming a Republican, they are rebelling against far-left politics that increasingly seems like the status quo.
“It’s the same type of youth rebellion as in the ’60s,” Michael Gatzlaff, a UW junior, said. “It’s a rebellion against a far-left liberal agenda. People are fed up with high taxes and government spending.”
Some believe Bush’s appeal for youth is caused by disillusionment with the Democratic establishment. The Clinton scandals and complaints of “wishy-washy” Democratic politicians may draw young people from the left, meaning the growth in conservative young Americans could signify a critique of the Democratic Party more than an actual endorsement of Republican politics.
Despite the majority of young people who approve of Bush’s job in the White House, those numbers do not necessarily mean the majority of young people will vote to re-elect the president.
“I hope it translates into 54 percent of young people voting for him, but I don’t think that that is the case,” Angela Frozena, State College Republican Chair and third-year UW law student, said.
Polls revealed while 37 percent of young people say they will vote to re-elect the president, 34 percent said they will definitely vote for someone else. Even those who pledge their support to Bush are never a sure thing, Sharpless feels.
“The problem with young people and support is that they don’t show up to the polls,” he said.
