Millennial are getting older, and political interest and engagement is on the rise for this generation. Forbes reports that as millennials are reaching their prime adult years, staying informed about current events is becoming increasingly important. According to a study from American Press Institute, 69% of millennials get the news daily and 85% say that keeping up with the news is at least somewhat important to them. Although millennials access news differently than boomers, according to Guardian, they access news regularly to keep up-to-date with new information.
The Millennial Impact Project, a new study conducted by Achieve research agency, investigated how millennials’ engagement behaviors may change during an election year. It also looks at how those changes may be influenced by factors such as political affiliation, location, gender, age, race and emerging candidates. The study, currently in its second wave, has found key trends that explain how millennials view politics and social change.
According to the study, a majority of millennials had posted in the past week on social media about the issues they cared about (as of June 22, 2016). Social media has the potential to influence millennial voters in two specific ways:
1. Participatory politics: Participatory politics, a new political movement that encourages individual engagement and participation in ongoing debates and discussions, takes place predominately in the social realm. Millennials are more demanding that their local and national governments and politicians listen to them and want to be involved in the conversation at all times. Jeff Fromm, contributor for Forbes, reminds us that this is the co-creation generation.
2. Ongoing, real-time conversations: Twitter specifically has changed the political landscape for many politicians. Twitter is typically used as a platform for self-expression and news management, providing local and national leaders with the opportunity to gauge sentiment in real-time in at a rate that has never existed before.
For more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffromm/2016/06/22/new-study-finds-social-media-shapes-millennial-political-involvement-and-engagement/#5638410d15de