Young voters helped President Obama win re-election. But Generation Opportunity offers an interesting take on young adults’ support for the 44th president in 2012.
There was a stunning 11-point swing in the young adult vote in the 2012 Presidential Election.
In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama won 18-29 year olds by 34 points (66%-32%). This year, President Obama won 18-29 year olds by 23 points (60%-37%). The youth vote swung 11 points away from President Obama, more than twice any other age demographic. No other demographic showed movement anywhere near this: 30-44 showed +1% point increase in support for Obama from 2008; 45-64 showed -5% decrease in support for Obama since 2008; and 65+ showed -4% decrease in support for Obama since 2008.
President Obama is witnessing a fracturing of what was once considered his unshakable base of support among young voters.
2012 saw the largest drop in support from the 18-29 demographic for any incumbent President who won re-election in history. Underneath these numbers, young Americans are fundamentally reshaping how they think about issues like unemployment, job creation, taxes, and regulation. The fact that young Americans will represent 38% of the electorate by 2020 makes this all the more relevant.
