Social Issues, Young Voters and the GOP

I have found that debate on social issues always brings out the ugly in some. That’s a shame, as they are important issues to be discussed and one should be able to do so without insulting people. Regardless, the trends shouldn’t be ignored, particularly with respect to young people who will be shaping future policy and be the country’s future leaders.

Here are two polls worth paying attention to via Gallup:

1) “Americans’ support for the law recognizing same-sex marriages as legally valid has increased yet again, now at 55%.” Among 18-29 year olds, 78% believe same-sex marriages should be legal. (As a side note, if you look at political subgroups in the overall population, 58% of Independents and 63% of Moderates feel they should be legal as well.)

2) “Americans remain divided on the abortion issue, with 47% of U.S. adults describing their views as ‘pro-choice’ and 46% as ‘pro-life,’ continuing a pattern seen since 2010.” But among 18-34 year olds, the gap is wider, as 50% define themselves as pro-choice and 40% as pro-life.

In light of the way young people have polled here and elsewhere, will a socially-conservative agenda be a problem for the GOP moving forward, particularly when it comes to winning presidential elections? Regardless of where you personally stand on these issues, it’s a question worth thinking about.

No matter what your conclusion may be, ignoring polling trends helps no one. Knowledge is power. And ignorance is never bliss.

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