During the month of October, MAP went live on Instagram with our partners at the Brookings Institute to discuss Millennials and the 2020 election.
Instagram Live Discussion #1: Joe Greaney and Raman Preet Kaur on Millennials’ voting behaviors
On Thursday, October 15th, MAP Associate Manager of Policy and Outreach Joe Greaney engaged in an Instagram live discussion with Raman Preet Kaur of the Brookings Institute. The discussion focused on Millennials voting in the 2020 election.
The Instagram live began with each person introducing themselves and the work they do at their respective organization. Joe Greaney, Associate Manager of Policy and Outreach at MAP, emphasized that having young people in Congress is extremely important. Joe added that young people tend to prefer former Vice President Biden over President Trump, but that Democrats are less enthusiastic about their candidate than Republicans are. Additionally, Joe mentioned that there are a lot of young Millennials running for office and winning, and that MAP is excited about this, as young people are more open to cross-party collaboration than their older counterparts.
Raman Preet Kaur of the Brookings Institute contended that Brookings is estimating about 150 million people will turn out to vote on or by November 3rd. Raman also projected that 60 million mail-in ballots will be returned. According to Brookings, in order to restart the economy effectively, the United States needs to first get the coronavirus pandemic under control. Raman concluded that the way to make your voice heard is to vote, and cited that Millennial voting turnout nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018.
Watch the Instagram Live:
Instagram Live Discussion #2: Layla Zaidane and Tim Higashi on the Millennial generation’s second lived economic recession
On Thursday, October 22nd, MAP’s Executive Director and C.O.O. Layla Zaidane participated in the second Instagram live discussion with Senior Research Analyst in the Economic Studies Department Tim Higashi of the Brookings Institute. The discussion focused on economics in the United States and how economics will influence the 2020 election.
Layla emphasized that the cultural and economic context in which Millennials have grown up has been like a series of waves continually knocking them down. According to Layla, older Millennials have not been able to build wealth the same way that their parents were able to, citing that Millennials make about 20% less than their parents did at the same age.
Layla also mentioned that for the population at large, COVID-19 is the number one factor driving voters, including Millennial voters, to the polls. Layla added that for Millennials, reopening the economy is really about restarting their lives. Millennials have had to put off major life events like weddings and starting a family because of COVID, and factors like these are driving young people to the polls.
Tim contended that the COVID-19 pandemic is unmatched in size and scale to anything the United States has seen in an entire generation, and that it has substantially affected the country’s economy. According to Tim, the beginning of the pandemic resulted in the largest quarterly drop in economic growth that the United States has seen in its entire history. Tim added that Congress could appropriate funds to make things easier for struggling households during the pandemic, and that most economists agree the United States should spend now and make up for it later.
Watch the Instagram Live:
Instagram Live Discussion #3: Steven Olikara and Tim Higashi on Millennials’ crucial role in the 2020 election
On Thursday, October 29th, MAP’s Founder and CEO Steven Olikara joined Tim Higashi for the third and final Instagram live discussion in the series. The discussion focused on Millennial voters and their importance in the 2020 election.
As the discussion began, Steven emphasized that there is an incredible surge in young voters heading to the polls and voting early in this election, and that the Millennial generation is prioritizing issues like climate change and gun control. Steven added that there has been a 266% increase in Millennials running for Congress this election cycle, because Millennials’ life experiences inform their decisions and life policies. Additionally, according to Steven, the policies of the United States should reflect the people’s will, and that’s why it’s so important for young people to run for office, as they tend to prioritize solutions for the nation’s biggest long-term problems.
Tim added that American life has been fundamentally reordered and changed by COVID-19. According to Tim, historically, the economy has been the number one issue motivating people at the polls. If the economy is doing well, the incumbent has a better chance of getting re-elected than they do if the economy is trending downwards. Finally, Tim mentioned that across all age cohorts, this election really is a referendum on the federal response to COVID-19.
Watch the Instagram Live: