Wednesday, June 27, 2007

And a child shall lead them . . .

A fresh New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll of young Americans reveals some interesting clashes with the views of their elders.

Most 17 to 19 year olds (62 percent) support a universal, government-sponsored health insurance program; 44 percent say gay couples should be allowed to marry; 30 percent want the country to be welcoming to immigrants; and a whopping 70 percent think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

They also believe by wide margins that the country is ready for a black or female president. But those numbers reverse if the candidate is a Mormon crack-smoking queer.

Not everything succumbs to the generation gap. The young and older are largely in agreement on a couple of key issues: abortion (most believe it should be available or somewhat limited) and global warming (a majority think it should be a high policy priority).

1 comment:

Zoya said...

As an outsider, I am not surprised by the statistics. I won't get into the political details...

However, I am disturbed that the US does not offer their citizens a decent health care program. Also, I am disturbed that the US government does not offer parents with new babies maternity leave. It is widely and openly encourged to breast feed and bond with babies, however mothers are expected to return to work within a short period of time, unlike other countries like Canada or European countries whee they give mothers and fathers 1 year of leave or more with % pay from employment.
Also and Sadly, the statistics of SIDS in the US happen with a caregiver like a nanny or daycare. I believe this is not a fault of the caregiver, but the stats of SIDS could be mislead because parents are required to return to work within a few weeks or shortly after.

I could go on an on..but, i'll keep it here...
:-)