Jackson Free Press

"One of the most patriotic things you can do in this country is protest." — Keith, 21
"These 20-30-year-olds protesting should realize that we are making the same mistakes that our parents made in the Vietnam era." — Laura, 18
"I am against this unjust war." — Anastasia, 18

These three quotes were posted on MTV.com March 24, in the heat of our invasion of Iraq. Young people are often thought of as monolithic in their thought and behavior patterns. But the quotes show very different viewpoints. All three writers are in the same stage of life; yet, they don't all agree. How can that be?

In April 2003, Harvard University's Institute of Politics surveyed college students to see where they would stand in the 2004 presidential election and to clarify three major beliefs about American youth. The study addressed the assumption made by politicians that there are not enough active young voters to bother directing a campaign toward. Harvard discovered that three in five college students are planning to vote in 2004. Similarly, the IPSOS-Public Affairs/Cook Political Report poll taken June 17-19 found that 767 of 1,000 adults over 18 were registered to vote.

So, myth number one: Students don't plan to vote. Fifty-nine percent of college students are registered to vote compared to about 78 percent of adults. That is a small gap if you consider that the older you are, the longer you've had to come across a registration form.

The Harvard study found that young adults are a new class of "Campus Kids" swing voters—which it defines as the "Political Offspring of 'Soccer Moms' and 'Office Park Dads.'" The study found that 59 percent of teenagers said they will be voting in the 2004 elections; 27 percent probably will vote, and the rest said there were undecided or definitely not voting.

The second myth is that young Americans are "not engaged." The survey proved that students' involvement in politics is rapidly growing since 9-11 and the start of the war in Iraq. More than 85 percent of students report following current events. But the rules of "engagement" are relative at any age. People care about what directly affects them and what their knowledge will allow them to accept. College students and parents care about education, the job market, technology and the economy. Older adults care about the job market, health care and technological changes they have to keep up with. The majority of Americans may not be engaged in world affairs, but everyone is engaged in their individual affairs.

The final myth is the notion that all college students are Democrats. The survey found that, on average, more college students who identify with a political party are Democrats (29 percent) than Republicans (26 percent). However, more students (41 percent) called themselves "independent" than anything else. I asked eight adults who passed me in a bookstore last week what their party affiliation is. I got five Republicans, two Democrats and one Independent. If anything, a room of young people would identify itself as more independent than my (admittedly non-scientific) adult sample.

Contrary to some news reports, the findings of the Harvard Political Survey of 2003 did not conclude that American youth are overwhelming patriotic or overwhelmingly anything. It found that our society of youth have various opinions and outlooks based on individual surroundings, upbringing and experiences.

No matter your age, you are new to the world as it is at this moment. No one knows what will happen next. College students, workers and veterans of life are all simply people. We feel confused sometimes and liberated at others—and we should all be valued as potential voters.
Jessica Kinnison is a senior at Jackson Prep and editor of The Sentry newspaper.

Visit the Youth Vote Coalition to get join young people united to encourage voting and civic engagement.