Biden's Approval Plummets Among Young Voters. NewsWire

NewsWire: 7/1/22

• Biden’s approval ratings have fallen the most among the youngest voters. Voters under 35 helped Biden win the presidency, but their dissatisfaction has grown sharply, especially among young women. (Morning Consult)
• NH: From January 2021 to June 2022, Biden's approval rating has fallen among all age brackets. But it has fallen the most among young adults. While Biden's approval rating among those aged 65+ has fallen only -4 percentage points, it has decreased -20 percentage points among 18- to 34-year-olds. 

• Among Democratic voters, moreover, Biden's approval has fallen more among young women (-23 pp) than young men (-9 pp). Women's approval has fallen faster than men's in all age groups, but in the young most of all.

• Young Democrats say Biden isn't pushing their top concerns. While 61% consider abortion a critical consideration in their vote, only 35% believe Biden is focusing on the issue. There are similarly large gaps when it comes to education, health care, and LGBTQ+ rights. 
• Of course, Biden was never young liberals' first choice for president. In the primaries, they overwhelmingly supported progressives like Bernie Sanders. Nonetheless, late in the 2020 primaries, they showed up for Biden. And in the election, they showed up for him there as well. (See "College Students Turned Up to Vote in 2020.”) Both times, they were no doubt more interested in stopping Trump than electing Biden. 
• So what will this mean for the midterms? It's unlikely that this discontent will drive young people to GOP candidates. But it could well suppress turnout, especially in districts or states where they see nothing special in the Democratic candidates.