4-out-of-10 millennials believe that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton share the same views about climate change, according to a Global Strategy Group poll released during the Democratic National Convention.
Trump has said climate change scientists are "practically calling it a hoax," and Clinton acts as if climate change is a greater threat than global terrorism, however many millennials polled believe that there is no difference between the two views.
“On the ground, students just don’t know the difference between the candidates,” said Heather Hargreaves, NextGen’s vice president.
Three-quarters of young voters are more likely to vote for a candidate who believes that the United States should transition away from fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy. Millennials also believe that clean air and water should be a much higher priority for the government.
The poll suggests that Clinton could capitalize on Trump’s plans to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an institution that many millennials are in favor of. Clinton could gain greater favor with this demographic by focusing on renewable energy and formulating strategies to protect against global warming.
The poll reveals that millennials are focusing the majority of their attention on an issue that shouldn't necessarily require the majority of the next president’s attention, especially considering the steady increase of terror threats. According to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, there have been over 510 terrorist attacks in the United States over the past ten years, claiming the lives of over 3,158 people. Those numbers do not even include the recent attacks elsewhere, such as in Germany and France.
It would appear as though terrorism -- or even a shaky economy -- should be greater and more immediate priorities for millennials, but instead, they are focused on air quality. Unfortunately, the issues that deserve the most attention and the ones that are actually receiving the most attention don’t appear to be the same in this election.