2016 issue importance amongst 18-29 year olds
- Supreme Court appointments 45%
- Social Security 57%
- Terrorism 68%
- Health care 66%
- Foreign policy 70%
- Trade policy 50%
- Immigration 68%
- Education 67%
- Gun policy 71%
- Economy 80%
- Abortion 46%
- Environment 54%
- Treatment of racial and ethnic minorities 75%
- Treatment of gay, lesbian and transgender people 50%
% of registered voters saying each is "very important" to their vote in 2016. Information from Pew Research Center.
One of the most sought after demographics in the 2016 Election is millennials.
The Millennial generation is defined by the Pew Research center as “those born after 1980 and the first generation to come of age in the new millennium.”
A study by the Pew Research Center shows that people 18-29 years old view the economy, treatment of racial and ethnic minorities and gun policy as the three top issues of importance in the upcoming election.
Anthony Cook, president of the Ball State College Republicans, said that the economy is a “huge” issue.
“We’re Republicans; we’re very fiscal; we like to save money," Cook said. "I think college students in general –– our goal is to get a job. Where is the economy going to be for us to get a job?"
The economy was not as big of a concern across the aisle. The BSU Democrats said they were more concerned about treatment of minorities and environmental issues than the economy.
“We care about the treatment of minorities because our values of inclusion and tolerance are imperative to bolster the stability of the United States and other countries around the world,” Jessica Ratel-Khan, the communications director for the BSU Democrats, said in an email. “As democrats, we strive to be the party of inclusion.”
The BSU Democrats also mentioned the environment as one of their main concerns.
"Climate change is an extremely important issue. Climate change is a real and urgent threat to the United States and the entire world,” Ratel-Khan said. “The overall scientific consensus is that climate change is real and caused mostly by fossil fuel emissions. Our planet is warming and causing sea levels to rise, higher food prices and more diseases.”
A recent USA Today/Rock The Vote poll showed Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump 68 percent to 20 percent among millennial voters.
“I find that very hard to believe,” Cook said. "I think young people, especially Millennials our age, in college, [with] as much media that’s around us and as much technology that’s around us, you and I are smart enough to figure out that emails just don’t disappear.”
Currently, the Democrats are dealing with leaked campaign emails, and the Republicans are trying to unify their party after House Speaker Paul Ryan clashed with Donald Trump.
Cook said that Donald Trump was originally not a majority of the College Republicans' first choice, but it was his running mate that unified the group.
“When Donald Trump got selected, we started to see a big split,” Cook said. "Then he chose Mike Pence, and we all started to come back together.”
Even though Mike Pence’s overall approval rating as governor is lower than most at 48 percent, his popularity among Republicans is still around 60 percent according to POLITICO.
With no debates left and a divided nation, the country will make its final choice in less than two weeks on Election Day.
Read More
Ball State women’s basketball runs out of gas against Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis
By Elijah Poe / 56 minutes ago“As hard as we played, we literally were running on fumes,” Ball State women's basketball head coach Brady Sallee said about the 69-62 loss to Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Ball State defeats Eastern Kentucky in opening game of Gulf Coast Showcase
By Zach Carter / 6 hours agoBall State defeated Eastern Kentucky 63-61 for the Cardinals' second win of the season.
Therapy dogs help relieve students' stress
By Dylan Chesnut / 9 hours agoWith finals coming up, Ball State students got the chance to hang with these furry friends.
