The biggest concern of young voters in America is climate change, a study by the Cause and Social Influence Initiative has found.
The top five concerns among later millennials and digital natives is competed by civil rights and racial discrimination, immigration, healthcare reform, and mental health and social services concerns.
There are age differences in the extent of that concern, too. The Gen Z participants in the study (18-24 years) were more concerned about climate change-34 percent-than late millennials (25-30 years), of whom 27 percent said it was their top concern.
The study also found that young people trust social movements more than the federal government. The Cause and Social Influence Initiative reported 77 percent trusted social movements, versus 59 percent trusting the federal government. Yet the most trust was put in non-profit organizations, at 79 percent. To compare, 56 percent said they trusted corporations and 71 percent said they trusted their local government.
A marked majority of respondents in the study also believe their vote could lead to real changes. A total 69 percent said they shared this belief with regard to the things that concerned them the most, with the percentage higher for the 18-24 demographic. A total 71 percent of this Gen Z group said they believed their vote could change things for the better, compared with 66 percent among late millennials (25-30 years).
An even marked majority believes voting is a form of social activism, at 70 percent overall. In the 18-24 age group, this percentage rises to 73 percent, while in the 25-30 age group it is slightly lower, at 70 percent.
The results of the CSII study echo the results of a poll conducted by CNN earlier. It found climate change was the top priority of Democratic voters, with issues such as poverty not even on the list. A total of 96 percent of poll respondents said climate change was important, followed by 91 percent who said a healthcare reform was important.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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Irina is a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry. More