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Millennials and Politics: The Battleground Brothers Embark on College Campus Tour

Vince and David discussed their college tour and what they learned during a LIVE SHOW on Facebook. Watch the full show in the link embedded above.


What are the main issues impacting millennial voters this political season? NBC10 reporters Vince Lattanzio and David Chang went on a college tour to find out.

In the weeks leading up to the election, the “Battleground Brothers” visited different college campuses in Pennsylvania and spoke with students about the issues they’re concerned about amid the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

They first visited the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC to take a look at the political affiliations and trends of millennial voters. According to Pew Research, 41 percent of millennials identify as Independent, 34 percent identify as Democrat and 25 percent identify as Republican. Yet when asked which party they lean toward in their political affiliations, 54 percent of millennials either identified as Democrat or leaned towards Democrat. That "Democratic lean" is larger (more than 10 percent) than any other generational group in recent history.

One of the biggest issues that millennials are concerned about during this election is the economy. Millennials grew up during the Great Recession and they're facing challenges when it comes to paying for school, buying a home and finding well-paying jobs, according to Pew Research Center Senior researcher Alec Tyson.

Tyson also provided data on how millennials viewed the concept of the American dream and the country's current economic system in comparison to other generations. According to Pew Research, the majority of millennials believe that most people can get ahead if they're willing to work hard. At the same time however, they also feel that the U.S. economic system unfairly favors powerful interests. Despite this, millennials are still optimistic that their personal financial situation will improve over the next year.

Pew-Research-Center-Data

The first stop of the college campus tour was Penn State University where Donald Trump supporters are feuding with their fellow Republican counterparts and the love for Hillary Clinton is lackluster among Democrats. Those feelings are compounded by concerns over the nation’s economy as young people prepare to enter the workforce. You can watch their Penn State trip in the video below.

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Drama, apathy and downright defiance can be felt among students at Penn State as the 2016 presidential election nears. Trump supporters on campus are feuding with their fellow Republican counterparts and the love for Hillary Clinton is lackluster among Democrats. Those feelings are compounded by concerns over the nation’s economic health as young people prepare to enter the workforce. NBC10’s...

The second stop of the college campus tour was Temple University where Vince and David spoke to students about the fight for social equality, another huge concern for millennials during this election season. Yet while the movement is loud at Temple University, not every student believes they can participate or supports the movement. You can watch their Temple University trip in the video embedded below.

The fight for social equality is a top of mind concern for Millennials this election season and the movement is loud at Temple University. But not every student believes they can participate or supports the movement. #BattlegroundBros David Chang and Vince Lattanzio spoke to students about how the issue could change their vote for president on election day. PAST EPISODES...

The third stop of the college campus tour was Widener University where Vince and David spoke to students about Climate Change and the effects inaction will have on their future. You can watch their Widener University trip in the video embedded below.

A majority of Millennials accept that Climate Change is happening and they’re concerned about what effects inaction will have on their future. But will the next president take the steps to protect that future? NBC10.com #BattlegroundBros Vince Lattanzio and David Andrew Chang went to Widener University to hear from young voters about where the environment ranks in #Decision2016.

The final stop was Kutztown University where Vince and David spoke to students about gun control, an issue that's not as polarizing among millennial voters as you might expect. You can watch their Kutztown University trip in the video embedded below.

The issue of gun control is not as polarizing amongst Millennial voters as you might expect. A majority of young voters are for protecting gun rights, data from the Pew Research Center shows. That doesn’t mean, however, that there isn’t a willingness to enact new laws on guns. NBC10.com’s Battleground Bros. Vince Lattanzio and David Chang visited Kutztown University in...

Follow Vince and David on the NBC10 app, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for interviews, stories and much more from their college campus tour.

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