The younger generation is very politically active. They have a voice on same-sex marriage and immigration, they fight for gun control calmer and more. Surprising me, they are also often Republicans. Indeed, according to Dayanna Volitich, young Republicans are changing the country, and they are doing so for the better.
Dayanna Volitich on Today’s Young Republicans
Republicans are traditionally conservative but that is a mold that young people are breaking. They don’t want to spend money on building a wall between this country and Mexico. They don’t want to split up gay couples. They also don’t always want to have a say in abortion. That is not because, like the Democrats, they think gay marriage and abortion is fine, it is because they feel it is none of the government’s business.
Research has shown time and again that young Republicans have far more liberal views on immigration, climate change, and LGBT rights, particularly when compared to other Republicans. Yet, many of them did vote for the new President Donald Trump and many still stand by that decision. There is a clear generational shift, however, on how people view physical issues and social issues. Young Republicans understand that the Republican party as it stands is to radically right and conservative, but they feel that they are the voice for change and the opportunity to bring the party back to what it once stood for.
At the same time, research shows that 23% of those identifying as young Republicans defected when Trump was elected. That is because he seems to focus on going back in time. What trump has done is made the generational gap larger than ever before and this could spell disaster for the Republican party. However, other young people feel that what is needed is a change in leadership and not a change in the party itself. Young Republicans today continue to be a highly educated and often wealthier than their Democrat peers, but they are far more moderate than what their parents were. They are focusing on making the Republican party welcoming again, they want to bring in minorities and they are fighting for equal rights.
Of particular interest is the fact that young people are once again becoming politically active, something that hasn’t really been seen since the Vietnam War and the Summer of Love. Young people feel that they are no longer properly represented by the status quo yet they continue to be divided into two camps, being Republican and Democrat. Exactly where this division lies is likely to change significantly over the coming years. What is clear is that the dividing line of the past, being stances on immigration, gay rights, taxation, health care, and so on, is disappearing very rapidly. These are exciting political times and it seems that the older generation has to start to give way to new blood, and with that will come new ideas and new interesting developments.