Young voters boosting Obama

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Young voters are worried about the economy, unimpressed with the selection of Sarah Palin as the GOP vice presidential nominee, and are increasingly gravitating toward Democrat Barack Obama for president, according to a study released today by Harvard's Institute of Politics.

The trends aren't that much different than those displayed by the electorate as a whole, the study's authors said. But the intensity of the support for Obama -- and the increased participation by 18-30 year-old voters in recent elections -- means young voters are likely to be a critical part of Obama's support Nov. 4.

Obama was favored by 56 percent of young voters interviewed in an Internet survey from Sept. 12 to Oct. 6, right after the economic crisis exploded. The GOP nominee, John McCain, had just 30 percent support among the age group, falling further behind since the IOP began doing head-to-head comparisons earlier this year.

But most significantly for Obama, young voters are far more enthusiastic about his candidacy than they were for Democratic nominee John F. Kerry in 2004, said John Della Volpe, director of the poll. Kerry beat President Bush by just nine percentage points among 18- to 30-year-old voters, according to the IOP's studies, while Obama has a 26-percentage-point edge. That translates into a one or two-point advantage for Obama among the electorate as a whole, Della Volpe said.

The study also found a resurging interest in public service and government among young people, belying common impressions that young people are apathetic. Nearly six in ten said they are already involved in some sort of community service, and nearly half of those surveyed said working for the federal, state, and local governments qualifies as public service. Almost a third said they might get involved in a political campaign, and 17 percent said they would consider running for office.

While both presidential campaigns have reached out to young voters -- the Obama campaign, in particular, has aggressively sought out the youth vote through such technologies as text messaging and the Internet -- the study results indicates young voters are still not being tapped at their full potential, said Bill Purcell, director of the IOP.

"Young people are not only ready to vote, they are ready to serve,'' he said. Among Obama supporters, 57 percent said they would do work for the campaign if asked, and 47 percent of McCain supporters said they would volunteer for the Republican nominee.

The Palin pick -- as with the electorate as a whole -- has appeared to solidify core McCain voters, but turned off many other young voters, the study said. The selection of Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential nominee slightly helped Obama, with 21 percent saying the pick made them more likely to vote for Obama, and 19 percent, less likely.

But the Palin choice led 40 percent of those surveyed to say they would be less likely to vote for McCain, compared to 25 percent who said her selection made them ore likely to vote Republican next month. The divide was particularly stark among young voters who had preferred New York Senator Hillary Clinton for president.

The selection of the 44-year-old Palin might have led some to believe she would lure young voters over to the GOP side, but it didn't help, and probably hurt, the Republican ticket,'' Purcell said.