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James Trout's avatar

If you are old enough to remember Carter, you're more likely to be Republican though. The country was simply done with him in 1980.

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Em Jay's avatar

Right, but the youngest voters in the 1992 election were born in 1974 and were only 6 when Reagan was first elected.

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GoUBears's avatar

Those born mid-1930s to 1944 and 1960 to 1975 are the more extreme conservatives. The younger end of the GOP generation had their parents raving about Reagan and the fall of the Soviet Union. Clinton became far more popular among the younger generation once he was seen as fighting the GOP congress, particular after his re-election. It's also worth noting that younger voters have always had lower participation rates, so those more apt to vote aren't necessarily representative of their peers.

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James Trout's avatar

And that's true for every generation, regardless of ideology. Reagan openly lamented both in 1982 and 1986 of the lack of younger voter participation.

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Mark's avatar

Yeah I think those both in the late 60s were the peak of Gen X Reaganites.

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michaelflutist's avatar

People who are now in their late 60s are not Gen X.

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Mark's avatar

I mistyped. I meant people BORN in the late 60s.

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michaelflutist's avatar

I think it's strange that an entire cohort of voters is Republican because they came of age during the Eisenhower Administration, which was not very conservative, and there is absolutely no doubt that Eisenhower would be outraged by Trump and other isolationist/collaborationists and habitual liars and would have never supported them. It must be all about labels to them.

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GoUBears's avatar

I think it pretty much boils down to them coming of age in an era of fear, and that transitioned to a 'protect what's mine' mentality.

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michaelflutist's avatar

For white people, mainly?

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GoUBears's avatar

Primarily, though more specifically I'd say kids whose families worried more about national/international affairs than local/state affairs.

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Mike in MD's avatar

For Gen Xers I think there's a dividing line around 1973-74 births. Too much of the older half of the generation votes like every election forever is Reagan vs. Carter or Mondale. The younger half really came of political age in the 1990s, and might remember Reagan as a positive part of childhood nostalgia but, when it started voting, did so based on later candidates and issues.

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Ben Piggot's avatar

Thats absolutely true for me. I was born in 1976, but my first vote was only in 2000. I was living in Canada in 1996 and didn't follow US politics that closely anyway. I actually followed 1992 more closely as a 15 year old.

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Jonathan's avatar

This sounds about right; the 1984 election had lasting effects for those voting the first time(Mondale was my first vote, but unlike many 18-20 year olds voting for the first time, I knew he had zero chance but still voted straight ticket D)

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michaelflutist's avatar

We're just about the same age, then. The difference is that I tried to be in denial about the opinion polls, based on the idea that the only poll that really mattered was on Election Day, and when my polling place in Manhattan was crowded, I tried to argue that turnout helps the Democrats - and then was mortified that Reagan won even my home state of New York.

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