Seniors lean Republican, young people more Democratic, right? Not so much

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/seniors-republican-young-people-democratic


Voters who turned 18 under Franklin Roosevelt's presidency are more likely to vote Democratic than the national average. Photograph: Hulton Archive

Republicans have a problem with young people 18-29. Democrats have a problem with seniors over 65. The story taken from this dichotomy is popular and simple enough: Republicans are the party of crusty old folks who are going to die, and Democrats are the party of the youth, who will lead a continued resurgence into office.

I'm not so sure about this story; the generational math is different than you might think.

One of my favorite bits of trivia points to the bigger picture: "From which age group did Bill Clinton win the highest percentage of votes in 1992?"

Seniors.

Indeed, if you came of age during the Franklin D Roosevelt administration, you are more Democratic than the nation as a whole. If you could first vote during the administrations of Ronald Reagan or George HW Bush, you're more Republican. Turn 18 while George W Bush or Barack Obama held the White House and, again, you're more Democratic. That's right: the 18-29 year-olds of today are about as Democratic as their oldest grandparents and great-grandparents.