“I am asking you to believe, not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.” These were the words President Obama offered a still-recovering nation during his farewell address. As was evident to many, the 2016 election not only lacked the energizing optimism of past elections, but also was disheartening and demoralizing. For some young Americans, this was the first major election they were able to fully engage in. This thus raises the concern that the 2016 election has discouraged an entire generation from pursuing politics and public service. However, starkly defying this notion are young Democrats, who appear even more motivated to answer the call to public service, according to results of the latest poll conducted by the Harvard Public Opinion Project.
Since the election, 33 percent of young Democrats say they are more motivated to get involved in politics and public service, and only 21 percent feel less motivated, a net positive of 12 percent. Although this may seem like only a marginal gain, this increase is significant considering that young Republicans witnessed a net 11 percent feeling less motivated to serve, while young independents witnessed a net 1 percent feeling less motivated to serve. Thus, Democrats were the only major political group to witness a net increase in motivation to enter public service following the election.
After a divisive primary season and a crushing general election loss at the hands of the Electoral College, it may be of wonder why young Democrats of all people feel more motivated to engage in politics. However, it may be for those very reasons—the divisiveness of the primary and the Electoral College’s influence on the result—that Democrats may feel more motivated. During the primary season, a new strand of Democrats found hope and optimism in Bernie Sanders. This was especially true among millennials who saw Sanders as embodying an organic and genuine movement that pushed the boundaries of progressive policy and challenged the ideas of the more traditional establishment. However, even with the nomination of the establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton, many youth still found reason to celebrate the progressive nature of their party and the cracking of the glass ceiling, and thus felt motivated going into the general election.
On Election Day, young Democrats witnessed not the shattering of the glass ceiling as they had expected, but the shattering of the hope generated during the primaries. Such a blow was surely discouraging to some, but the prospect of having to face an administration staunchly opposed to many of their core values also revealed to many young Democrats the importance of being involved in politics and public service. Indeed, it was the results of the election that sparked the record turnouts at the women’s marches and the recent protests in reaction to Trump’s executive orders regarding immigration. It thus appears that rather than retreating, young Democrats have seen even more reason to remain involved in the political sphere.
The coming years will test the perseverance of not only Democrats but of the nation as a whole. Yet, it appears that young Democrats have not forgotten the parting words of their nominee. As Clinton tweeted on the morning after the election, “Scripture tells us: Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” If recent events have shown anything, young Democrats are anything but weary. Budding public servants across the country are not afraid of the challenges that lie ahead of them, but instead are motivated and ready to continue working on behalf of their ideals.