Who Are Bernie Sanders’s Millennial Supporters Voting for Now?

Hillary Clinton has garnered the support of Millennials who wanted Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) to win, as she leaves Donald Trump far behind among the group, according to a new poll.
Who Are Bernie Sanders’s Millennial Supporters Voting for Now?
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at Portsmouth High School July 12, 2016 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
8/15/2016
Updated:
8/18/2016

The majority of millennial voters who came out in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) during the primaries are now supporting Hillary Clinton, a new poll finds.

The former secretary of state is supported by 72 percent of millennials who had previously backed Sanders, according to a new USA Today/Rock the Vote poll. Meanwhile, 11 percent said they will vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, 11 percent said they won’t vote, and 6 percent said they don’t know.

Sanders had a majority of support among Democrats under 30, according to surveys at polling stations during the primaries.

Sanders endorsed the former secretary of state after leaving the race in July, having secured significant influence over the DNC platform.

While Trump has actively tried to woo Sanders supporters, Clinton is beating Trump 56 percent to 20 percent among those under 35, the new survey shows.

The recent poll was conducted from Aug. 5 to 10 and has a margin of error of 4.6.

In April, the estimated number of millennials in the United States was 75.4 million, more than the 74.9 million Baby Boomers in the country (ages 51–69), according to U.S. Census Bureau data.  

According to the poll, the GOP candidate is on his way to becoming the least popular candidate among young voters in modern U.S. history. Trump’s performance among young voters is lower than the 32 percent Richard Nixon received from 18- to 29-year-old voters in a 1972 Gallup poll, during a time when the young strongly protested against the Vietnam War.

Half of those under 35 who were polled by USA Today/Rock the Vote say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 20 percent identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. Seventeen percent say they are independents and 12 percent either identify with another party or don’t know their affiliation.

Clinton Not Doing Well With Young Women

Although Clinton is winning among millennials and made history as the first female nominee of a major U.S. political party, she’s not doing so well with young women voters.

Clinton is more likable among young men (58 percent to 22 percent) than she is among young women (53 percent to 17 percent), the poll found.

Females are more likely than males to say they won’t vote for either candidate—17 percent compared to 13 percent.