Youth Research

AP along with MTV did a recent study asking young people if they were happy. Its always fun to come up with a blanket study – but according to this mornings Forum with Michael Krasny on NPR who had Michael Greco an MTV Vice President talking further about the study – apparently they asked deeper questions rather than a yes or no and they did a kind of listening study where they actually examined things closer.

“The study found that overall, most American young people (aged 13-24) report being happy with their lives and are optimistic about the future. 65 percent of respondents say they are happy with the way things are going in their lives in general and 62 percent think they will be happier in the future than they are now.

“Parents, Family and Relationships - Parents are seen as an overwhelmingly positive influence in the lives of most young people. Remarkably, nearly half of respondents mention at least one of their parents as a hero. When asked "What one thing in life makes you most happy?" 46 percent of respondents say spending time with friends, family and loved ones.

This one is VERY interesting to me:

“Religion and spirituality are an integral part of happiness for most American young people. 44 percent say that religion and spirituality are either a very important or the single most important thing in their lives, with more than one in ten reporting the latter. And those for whom religion and spirituality play a bigger role in life tend to be happier. 80 percent of those who say spirituality is the most important thing in life say they are happy with life in general, compared with 60 percent of those who say that spirituality is not an important part of life at all.”

The spring 2007 Harvard IOP survey provides us with a snap shot of some early impressions young people have of the 2008 elections. The poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive. They surveyed a large sample; however these are individuals that have opted into Harris Interactive for online polling for their demographic. Don’t get me wrong, this is a step in the right direction, as IOP used to conduct these studies by conducting phone surveys.

Young people (42%) say they will definitely vote in a 2008 primary or caucus and are interested in volunteering (52%) for a presidential campaign if they are provided with an opportunity. I hope this is the case. It will be interesting to see if any of the presidential campaigns actually invest in voter registration and GOTV efforts. Campaigns would have to tailor their communications to young people and to the caucus and primary rules for each state. For example, in the earlier primary states college students could be encouraged to request an absentee ballot during Thanksgiving Break or Winter Vacation. It would be smart (and a necessity) for all campaigns to have a youth GOTV strategy for the primary that is aware of college schedules.

Party Affiliation and Candidate Ranks:

The Edwards numbers were a little surprising, as he has been building a national network of young people through his One Corps. I was also surprised by Obama’s significant lead over Clinton among college students. I don’t think Obama has a lock on the youth vote. Senator Clinton has a window through the summer and fall to define and introduce herself to young voters. I believe young people (being one) don’t have the love or hate position toward Senator Clinton that is often seen throughout the adult population. Many young voters were born around the time Gov. Dukakis ran for president, were in kindergarten during Hillary’s healthcare fight, and were in 4th or 5th grade during the impeachment witch hunt.