<p>There was a fascinating chart in the Sunday NY Times (Week in Review section) about two months ago. It showed who was president and how popular he was and tracked the views of people who were young while he was president. There was an amazing degree of persistence in political views.</p>
<p>Let me explain with examples:
-- People who were 18-25 when Reagan was president (and he was overall a pretty popular president) tended to be fairly Republican and conservative from then until now.
-- People who were 18-25 when Clinton was president (and he was overall a pretty popular president) tended to be fairly Democratic and liberal from then until now.</p>
<p>The conclusion--Views are formed in youth, in response to what presidents do and how they are evaluated at that time, and these views persist.</p>
<p>Now, check this out: Young people are coming to age with a very unpopular president and they are about the least approving of President George W. Bush. Given the history of how this dynamic works, a great deal of these folks are going to be Democratic and liberal far into the future.</p>