NYT Poll: Young Americans Lean Left

You can expect to hear a lot about this in the coming days: a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll (h/t Britain and America) seems to indicate that the younger generation favors more liberal policies than conservative ones. Among its findings:

*More than half plan to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008

*44% believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry

*62% support a universal, government-sponsored health care plan

*51% said the U.S. was very or somewhat likely to succeed in Iraq

If the respondents get most of their news from the media outlets that sponsored the poll, then perhaps most of these results are not so surprising.

One poll respondent's view:

“I think the Democratic Party is now realizing how big an impact my generation has, and they’re trying to cater to that in some way,” Ashley Robinson, 21, a Democrat from Minnesota, said in an interview after she participated in the poll. “But the traditional Republican Party is still trying to get older votes, which doesn’t make sense because there are so many more voters my age. It would be sensible to cater to us.”

There were no quotes from Republicans in the article; the above quote was the only one featured.

Food for thought: A prominent Democrat who once said, "My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton received the lion's share of attention by those polled, and the two campaigns may want to take note:

More important, though, at least for Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama is the impression this group has of them. In the poll, 43 percent of respondents said they held an unfavorable view of Mrs. Clinton, a number that reflects the tide of resistance she faces nationwide. By contrast, only 19 percent said they had an unfavorable view of Mr. Obama.