Executive Summary

Democracy Corps and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner have completed a comprehensive and multi-modal survey of America’s youth. This major, multi-mode survey of America’s young people shows young people profoundly alienated from the Republican Party and poised to deliver a significant majority to the Democratic nominee for President in 2008. Involving a combination of land-line telephone survey, cell-phone interviews and web research, surveyors overcame the inherent difficulties and biases of researching this population.

The survey finds young people profoundly alienated from the Republican party and its perceived values. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead Rudy Giuliani—the most acceptable of the Republican offerings among youth—by significant margins. The President’s standing is substantially worse, to the degree that is possible, than we find in the broader electorate. Moreover, the disconnect we see between the Republicans and our nation’s youth runs so deep, that it likely will not only outlive the Bush administration, but potentially haunt the Republicans for many years to come.

Methodology

This survey involved 1,017 young people, including 510 telephone interviews, 407 web surveys and 100 cell phone interviews. The survey was conducted between May 29 and June 19, 2007.

Key Findings

• Financial Challenges Dominate Youth Agenda- 58 percent of young people say they are “one paycheck away from having to borrow money from their parents or credit cards.”

• Democrats fare reasonably well with independent youth, offering 37 percent favorable and 27 percent unfavorable ratings.

• Rudy Giuliani (40 percent warm, 29 percent cool) is relatively popular among younger voters, garnering similar ratings to both Hillary Clinton (49 percent warm, 39 percent cool) and Barack Obama (45 percent warm, 26 percent cool).

• 19 percent of youth surveyed said they do not have a landline.