In affecting the United States’ ability to respond to events abroad, polarization may prevent swift action, which is crucial in developing a strategy to handle the militant group ISIS. However, results from the Harvard Public Opinion Project’s fall poll indicates that while young Americans are far from a consensus on how to deal with ISIS, … Read more
In Johannesburg in April 2008, Eudy Simelane’s naked body was found face-down in a ditch. She had been stabbed nine times. She had been raped. Eudy had also been one of South Africa’s foremost female soccer players. She had dreamed of becoming the first female World Cup referee, and through her successes on the field, … Read more
For young Americans, social media usage is becoming increasingly diversified. There are more social media platforms than ever before. Relatively new platforms—like Snapchat, Instagram, and Tumblr—are rapidly gaining popularity. While 84 percent of polled individuals claimed to use Facebook in the spring of 2014, only 79.5 percent of them claimed to use Facebook in the … Read more
According to the fall 2014 survey by the Harvard Public Opinion Project, young Republicans are the most enthusiastic group among young Americans with regard to the upcoming midterm elections. Forty-two percent of young Republicans report themselves as likely to vote, in contrast to only 30 percent of young Democrats and 16 percent of young independents. … Read more
The past year has been witness to several prominent developments in the United States’ role in international affairs, most recently with President Obama’s decision to order direct air strikes against Islamic State militants. Not surprisingly, the same timeframe has also seen significant growth in young Americans’ concern over events abroad and their potential implications at … Read more
In November’s upcoming midterm election, there doesn’t appear to be any single issue dominating voter’s attention. The economy has recovered somewhat and isn’t as pressing an issue to voters as it was in 2010, and foreign policy, though a focal point with the rise of ISIS and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, isn’t nearly as … Read more
Every fall and spring, the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) releases America’s largest poll of young people. The poll usually gets a great deal of national coverage. Unfortunately, much of this coverage only goes skin deep, highlighting the supposed apathy of young people in America and our cynicism about the future of politics. This project, a partnership between HPOP … Read more
In the 2012 presidential elections, President Barack Obama won the youth vote by 37 percentage points. Studies show that the election was decided by the youth vote. Yet the latest results of the Harvard Public Opinion Project survey reveal that Republicans have only managed to damage their position among youth since the 2012 elections. Currently, … Read more
Ever since the 2008 election (and even before then), Democrats have been seen as the go-to party for young Hispanic and black voters. Now, the times are changing. While more minorities still identify as predominantly Democratic, 34 percent of young people surveyed by the Harvard Public Opinion Project said that they trusted Democrats more than … Read more
Nearly everyone at Harvard has heard of Teach for America. It’s all over college campuses, it’s in the news on teacher labor policy, it goes through another round of debate every time a new alum publishes a blog post about why you absolutely should/should not do the program. Most recently, the organization came up again … Read more