The millennial generation has long been considered to be President Obama’s base constituency, but that might be changing as a growing number are growing disillusioned with him. That said, while young Americans are deeply disappointed with almost everything about President Obama’s second term, they would still vote for him, if you believe the results of a Harvard University poll released today. The nationwide poll undertaken by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics involved surveying over 2,000 people between 18 and 29.
The survey results
Over half of the survey respondents said they disapproved of how the Democratic president handled important issues so far in his second term, issues such as Syria, Iran, the economy, healthcare and the budget deficit. The majority noted the economy was their number one concern.
However, the survey also indicated disapproval ratings were higher for both political parties in Congress. Perhaps most importantly, 46% of those surveyed said they would still vote for Obama for President. Slightly more than 35% reported they would change their vote and vote for Mitt Romney.
Some 55% of the survey respondents who reported casting ballots in the 2012 presidential election said they had voted for Obama, compared with 33% for Romney.
Cracks in Obama’s base?
Institute of Politics Director Trey Grayson argues the Harvard poll reveals cracks forming in Obama’s political base.
“This isn’t a problem for Obama because he’s not coming up for election again,” Grayson said in a conference call today. “But it is a potential problem for any Democratic candidate seeking to mobilize young Americans.”
Criticisms of Obamacare
The roll out of the Affordable Care Act is one of the biggest criticisms of the Obama administration. More than 57% of respondents in the Harvard poll said they disapproved of Obamacare, with a solid 40% saying they thought the quality of healthcare would decline, and around half of respondents expecting healthcare costs to continue to rise.
