What the 2016 Presidential Election has revealed about Millennials

This past weekend, I spent most of my Saturday knocking on doors and helping register people to vote. As I walked from neighborhood to neighborhood, I couldn’t help but notice the reluctance and hesitation of those who answered their doors. Unlike eight, or even four years ago, I didn’t feel the same sense of passion or excitement - just disappointment and disillusionment. Over the course of the day, I was able to talk to many voters and listen to their concerns over the impending election. Many people simply felt that the political system was broken and that this election would do little to change the status quo, regardless of who is elected. While these concerns were felt by a majority of the individuals I talked to, the feelings were magnified among one group in particular – young voters. Unlike their seniors, young people were considerably more distraught and angry at the current state of United States politics. Many adamantly refused to vote, and the few who were planning to? They weren’t going to vote for either major party candidate.

The 2016 Presidential Election has energized few and disappointed many. With the two most disliked candidates in history vying for the most powerful position on the planet, this election has left many voters demoralized about their future. While both Clinton and Trump have managed to build large coalitions, it has largely been due to fear rather than hope. This bleak reality is personified by one of the most important voting groups in the United States: millennials. 

During the presidential primaries, voters between the ages of 18 and 35 largely broke towards Independent Senator Bernie Sanders. Following his defeat, Sanders’s passionate millennial support base has been slow to warm to either of the remaining candidates. In a recent Morning Consult poll, only 51% and 19% of millennial voters support Clinton and Trump respectively. Now, with little more than a month until the election, nearly a third of young voters find themselves left with no satisfactory choices – vote for one of the two major party candidates who fail to embody an ideal of hope, vote for a third party candidate who will likely not be president, or not vote at all.  

While this election cycle has disillusioned many new voters hoping for a dramatic ‘political revolution’, it has revealed what issues and concerns drive millennials in the 21st Century. 

Passion for Change 

Millennials have been raised in an era that has largely been more socially inclusive and open to people of different religions and socio-economic backgrounds. Because of this, most young voters gravitate towards issues that conflict with currently accepted societal norms. This clash is seen both in terms of social policy, such as LGBT rights and civil liberties, as well as economic policy, equal opportunity for all. While the United States largely utilizes a free market system and capitalism, millennials are more attracted to economic systems commonly defined as ‘democratic socialism.’ In fact, a study conducted by The Washington Post found that “a majority of millennials now reject capitalism” in favor of more utilitarian ideals. These are large reasons why most young voters preferred the socially liberal policies of Sanders and still continue to do so.  

Senator Bernie Sanders was able to connect will millennials through socially and economically progressive issues (Source: Chicago Tribune)

Having grown up in a different time, millennials are generally considered more open-minded and willing to accept different ideas and values. This desire for a more progressive society has led many presidential candidates to focus on socially progressive issues, illustrated by Johnson’s appeal for the legalization of marijuana and Clinton’s fight for equal pay in the workplace. 

Many of the most successful companies today have recognized the shift in cultural identity of the next generation of consumers and have largely attempted to generate platforms for millennials to challenge social norms. Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become platforms for the spread of social issues and have given individuals the opportunity to make their voices heard. Companies that encourage people to look for new solutions and challenge existing problems have not only been monumentally successful at building multi-generational organizations and audiences, but have also managed to effectively communicate with one of the largest consumer bases in the world.  

Motivated by Movements and New Ideas

As a group that largely seeks to achieve large-scale culture change, millennials tend to be motivated by social movements. Prior to the presidential primaries, a majority of younger voters supported Hillary Clinton in a potential bid for the White House. However, once Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy, millennials overwhelmingly moved to support his campaign. One of the fundamental aspects of Sanders’s message was to fight for a ‘political revolution’ – a message that not only resonates with people who were disillusioned with the status quo, but also those who wanted to see significant change within the United States. Sanders’s meteoric rise in less than a year illustrates the desires of younger voters not only to fight for progressive values, but also their immediate response to growing movements as well. 

While Sanders argued a powerful message, his support was not simply the result of his political platform – this is evident due to the imbalance of media coverage at the beginning of the primary season which limited voter exposure to Sanders's main policies. Instead of relying on traditional messaging, Sanders’s campaign was run as though it was a viral trend rather than a traditional campaign, utilizing the global reach of social media platforms. In addition, many of the modern social and cultural movements, such as campaign finance reform and climate change, have largely been supported by millennials.  

Millennials overwhelming gravitate toward social, cultural, and political movements (Source: The Brief)

Viral trends and social movements have proven to not only draw young people in, but have also increased their awareness and interaction with trending topics around the world. With the expansion of social media platforms, millennials are able to quickly circulate and consume information. While there exists legitimate arguments of pseudo-activism generated from the expansion of media, it remains undeniable that reaching millennials is still best achieved through trending issues and appealing to their desire for change. 

Eager to be Involved  

Many have noted that the youth of today are more willing to engage in volunteer work as well as community service. Whether it is helping with community projects or virtual volunteering, people observe that millennials are more willing to give up their time for charitable use as well as contribute to social movements to inspire change. Sanders harnessed this desire for social evolution during the primary season and built a base consisting of passionate millennials who actively wanted to make a difference in the world.   

Why many today paint a bleak and negative image of the younger generations, this is a sentiment largely rejected by the community itself. In a study conducted by Telefónica that surveyed more than 12,000 millennials from over 25 countries, a majority of millennials personally felt that they could make local differences, and many, a global difference. 

Raised in an increasingly global society, the new generation is considerably more connected with both those in their communities as well as those abroad. Activism has become a growing trend among young voters, who not only want to create social change, but also want to be actively involved.  

Many millennials believe they can lead local change, and nearly half believe they can impact global change (Source: Telefónica)

In order to reach millennials in the 21st Century, organizations and companies must be willing to provide the opportunity for greater interaction and activism throughout global communities. 

Final Thoughts

Within the last decade, young voters have played an increasingly large role in determining the outcome of elections. President Obama was able to ride a wave of millennial support to win in both 2008 and 2012 by considerable margins. The power of the millennial vote remains largely untapped by Clinton and Trump, both significantly underperforming with the demographic. If either hopes to guarantee a victory in November, they will need to find a way to reach out to the disillusioned group. 

The 2016 Presidential Election has been one of chaos and venom. The negativity has not only damaged the political process within the United States, but also undermined the cultural value of modern day politics. However, in light of a dark political season, the election has also illuminated the key issues of the next generation of leaders and innovators – a passion for change, a desire for social evolution, and a yearning for global progression.

So, while the election has left many despondent and discontent, it has also revealed the values of the new generation - values that millennials hope will lead to monumental change in the future and eventually a socio-political revolution. 

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Erwen (Alex) Zhu is an intended Business Major at the University of California Berkeley and writes as a millennial voice for marketing, social media, entertainment, politics, and cultural impact.

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