Millennial politics: the youth may rise again
In terms of numbers, young people should have a powerful effect on the 2019 election. Though they are drawn to the DA and EFF, with their relatively youthful leaders, disunity could still be a factor
They spend too much money on avocados. They have a penchant for a shade of blush branded "millennial pink" and taking BuzzFeed quizzes to figure out what flavour of ice cream they are. But when it comes to politics, millennials are becoming increasingly disconnected. Millennials, or Generation Y, are somewhere between 18 and 36 years old and have championed the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall campaigns in SA. But the ANC’s rhetoric on radical economic transformation has the politically savvy generation heading in the opposite direction. In the US presidential elections and the Brexit vote, young voters failed to pitch at the polls. US President Donald Trump’s victory has been documented by the Centre for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement as having been a result of a lack of unity among millennials. In SA, approximately 48%, or 12.7m, of all voters are under the age of 40, but the generation gap between millennials and the older Generation X is becoming apparent...
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