General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Yup, the GOP is f'd with young people [View all]CincyDem
(6,282 posts)This is a question I always have when I see data with this theme.
In broad strokes, I think of liberalism (typically Democratic principles) as thinking forward while I think of conservatism (typically Republican) as looking backwards. I think this data supports that hypothesis - when you take the total (top chart) and break out the data by political leaning, you get a higher level of conservative among right leaning subjects (second chart) and higher level of liberal among left leaning subjects (third chart).
At 21, 25 or even 30 - I have a lot more life forward than backwards while at 65, I likely have more behind me than in front of me. That's not fatalistic or defeatist, it's just human physiology.
So at 25, all I think about it the future and how to create something new/better versus today. At 65, I've probably accumulated "stuff", I remember the good old days, and all I think about is how much better it "used to be".
Now I KNOW that's a broad sweeping generalization and many of my best friends are raging liberals over 55 because that's the kind of people I attract and am attracted to. But...if this age shift is even half true, in 30 years today's liberal bias among the young turns into a more balanced or even conservative leaning distribution.
What's missing, IMHO, is a study over time (longitudinal study) that tracks how ideology shifts with age. After all, you probably have to have something to conserve before you become a conservative.
It's likely true that the republicans are f'ed with young people but I'm less sure that they're f'ed with those same people as they age.