Monmouth College Commissions One of the Only National Polls that Reflects Insight in Most Under-Represented Voters: Millennials

MONMOUTH, Ill., Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Monmouth College recently commissioned a poll to garner insight into the traits and perspectives by the country's most under-represented voters, the Millennials, and gathered some unique insights into how this generation greatly differs from previous ones and what impact this may have for those running for the country's highest position. Monmouth College has become the place to study ideas, interests and predilections of emerging generations and they look to continue their outreach as well as constantly engage their student body in current issues.

The research was conducted by Triton Polling and Research in Dent, Oregon by using an online interface, and garnered triple the amount of respondents to traditional polls in this age group. The U.S. has a large group of voters who have become almost impossible to interact with via normal polling outreach.

Conducted October 2-4, 2015, voters between the age of 18 and 24 were contacted online and asked to participate in a poll related to millennial attitudes towards social issues and presidential candidates.

"Our new national political poll focuses exclusively on the political preferences of a single demographic group – 18- to 24-year-old young adults," said Joe Angotti, visiting distinguished professor at Monmouth College and former executive producer of NBC Nightly News. "Young adults have been particularly difficult to survey in recent years because of their heavy reliance on cell phones with unlisted numbers."

The results were published by the school on October 13, 2015 and bring up many interesting facts that may be of importance to the election as a whole:

• The majority of responders (35 percent) defined themselves as Independent, non-partisan or not a member of a political party instead of republican or democratic affiliations.
• More than 50 percent of those polled self-identified as "very closely" following the news coverage of the presidential election. This contradicts ongoing considerations that the millennial generation is indifferent to national politics.
• The poll indicates Donald Trump would be their first choice for president from the Republican party but with more than 44 percent still undecided or voting for none of the full list of the Republican party included in the survey
• From a Democratic party standpoint, Bernie Sanders is the preferred choice over Hilary Clinton with a respective 35.8 to 21.5 percent each (with 27.4 percent polled unsure or choosing none of the other candidates listed)
• The majority of responders were socially compassionate on issues such as global warming, same-sex marriage and undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
  • 54 percent approve of the Obama administration increasing the number of worldwide refugees the U.S. accepts each year to 100,000 from its current 70,000
  • 65 percent believe that undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. should be allowed to live and work here legally if they pay a fine and meet other requirements
  • 44 percent oppose sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS
  • 70 percent think it should be legal for same sex couples to marry

By reaching out to a demographic that is currently underrepresented, Monmouth College has tapped into a group of voters who can and will be influential in the outcomes of the 2016 presidential election. Monmouth sees great value in the views of their students and intends to identify more data and trends in order to assess the ideas of emerging generations.

For more information, or to see the complete poll, please visit www.monmouthcollege.edu/millennial-survey. Founded in 1853, Monmouth College is a private, four-year, nationally-ranked liberal arts institution of 1,200 students in western Illinois.

Contact: Nancee Long
[email protected]
815.708.6157

SOURCE Monmouth College