A recent poll by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a research organization, found fewer first-time voters support Presi- dent Barak Obama compared to their 22 to 29-year-old millennial counterparts.
According to the poll, 32.1 percent of 18 to 21 year olds support Obama compared to an average of 42 percent among 22 to 29 year olds.
Though first-time voters are still overall trending liberal, “compared to older youth, a larger percentage of 18 to 21 year olds are conservative in their candidate and issue support,” CIRCLE Senior Researcher, Felicia Sullivan, said in an email.
However, the data also finds more than one-third of first-time voters are still undecided about which presidential candidate to vote for.
Sullivan says 18 to 21 year olds may not be as informed as older voters, which could be a factor in the trend.
San Diego State political science professor, John Mercurio said one reason for the trend may be young voters’lack of experience with politics.
“I know when I was registering to vote for the first time, I didn’t know anything,” Mercurio said. “I just de- ferred to my parents and they were both Republican. So, now I’ve gotten over that.”
The approximate 30 percent of undecided youth voters can still be swayed either way because the next two months before the election are crucial, Sullivan said.
“It’s really about the campaign strategy,” Sullivan said.
The data from the poll, which was conducted before Paul Ryan was selected as the Republican vicepresidential candidate, could change the overall data because of Ryan’s youthful appeal.
Emily Bartan, an economics major at the University of California, Santa Cruz said although she is socially liberal and fiscally conservative, she isn’t enthusiastic about either party.
“I’m not really a huge fan of Romney, but I’m still probably going to vote for Obama. It’s the lesser of two evils,” Bartan said.
Sullivan said, CIRCLE will conduct more polls before and after the election to offer more explanatory information about the trend.
