the young have spoken
i really don't consider myself politically minded. that's mostly because i really don't like politics. i can appreciate a healthy debate, but too many opinionated people all together is a recipe for making me stressed out. one thing you may not know about me, however, is that i enjoy statistics. here's a set of statistics that i was looking at (analyzing, if you will) that i consider very interesting:
presidential vote by age*:
*statistics were taken from www.cnn.com, exit poll numbers, approx 1130 hrs, 5 nov 2008
there is a 20% difference between those above age 65 and those below age 30. these groups are separated by 35 years and over 20% of the vote. a simple generalization - by these numbers, the younger you are, the more likely you were to vote for obama. the older you are, the more likely you were to vote for mccain. there are dozens of ways to interpret that very generalization. there are obviously many other conclusions that can be deduced from the numbers, but i'll look at just the one.
the younger generation is more likely to push change. they are more adaptable, more open to new ways of doing things. the older generation is more likely to want to keep things the same, or take change at a a slower pace. they go for the tried-and-true, the familiar, the "safe" route.
on the other side of the coin, the older generation has experience & wisdom on their side. they have lived through more experiences and have had to adapt to more changes. they could be more realistic in their view point, having learned (a lot of times, the hard way) that change is very difficult and doesn't happen without consequences - both the expected & unexpected. the younger generation is more idealistic in their approach - seeing what they don't like and pushing to change no matter what the consequences, for better or worse; we'll live through the consequences by dealing with that when the time comes.
it's clear that those desperate for change in our country outnumber those who are more reserved on the matter. one thing is for certain - the imminent changes will certainly shape the future of our nation. we have taken the fork in the road and we are branching out from our previous path. will we regret taking this path, once we get far enough to realize the trouble & chaos e have gotten ourselves into? or will we marvel at the amazing revelation of relief we feel once we get to a point of order and peace, wondering why the heck it took us so long to get there?
presidential vote by age*:
*statistics were taken from www.cnn.com, exit poll numbers, approx 1130 hrs, 5 nov 2008there is a 20% difference between those above age 65 and those below age 30. these groups are separated by 35 years and over 20% of the vote. a simple generalization - by these numbers, the younger you are, the more likely you were to vote for obama. the older you are, the more likely you were to vote for mccain. there are dozens of ways to interpret that very generalization. there are obviously many other conclusions that can be deduced from the numbers, but i'll look at just the one.
the younger generation is more likely to push change. they are more adaptable, more open to new ways of doing things. the older generation is more likely to want to keep things the same, or take change at a a slower pace. they go for the tried-and-true, the familiar, the "safe" route.
on the other side of the coin, the older generation has experience & wisdom on their side. they have lived through more experiences and have had to adapt to more changes. they could be more realistic in their view point, having learned (a lot of times, the hard way) that change is very difficult and doesn't happen without consequences - both the expected & unexpected. the younger generation is more idealistic in their approach - seeing what they don't like and pushing to change no matter what the consequences, for better or worse; we'll live through the consequences by dealing with that when the time comes.
it's clear that those desperate for change in our country outnumber those who are more reserved on the matter. one thing is for certain - the imminent changes will certainly shape the future of our nation. we have taken the fork in the road and we are branching out from our previous path. will we regret taking this path, once we get far enough to realize the trouble & chaos e have gotten ourselves into? or will we marvel at the amazing revelation of relief we feel once we get to a point of order and peace, wondering why the heck it took us so long to get there?
Labels: politics, statistics, voting
posted by beth at
2:22 AM
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