A new Gallup poll released Friday shows President Barack Obama holds a large lead over Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney among young voters, while Romney is more popular among older voters. However, delving deeper, the poll illustrates differentials in age vastly change voting preference among whites.
Fifty-six percent of 18 to 29 year olds and 50 percent of 29 to 39 year olds polled favor Obama in this year's general election while a majority of those over 40 years prefer Romney, the poll data showed. However, when the results are broken down by race, the data showed non-whites prefer Obama across all age ranges.
Therefore, difference in voting preference by age is only a favor among white American voters. Romney is preferred across all age categories among white voters, while 54 percent of total white voters prefer the former Massachusetts governor, compared to 37 percent for the president.
Among non-whites, at or about three-quarters of those polled, regardless of age, said they would vote for Obama in November's elections. The smallest voting preference gap among whites is in the 18 to 29 year old category, where Romney only has a 2 percent lead over Obama. However, low voting rates among young Americans could pose a challenge to the president in November.
"Among all Americans, age is a predictor of voter turnout," a Gallup release accompanying the data said. "Voters younger than 40 are significantly less likely to say they will definitely vote than are those 40 and older - presenting a challenge for the Obama campaign as it attempts to maximize its relative advantage among the younger group."
Although 78 percent of Americans polled said they would definitely vote in November, the lowest predicted voter turnout is among the president's strongest age category, 18 to 29 year olds, of whom only 59 percent said they would definitely vote.
Among all other voters, there is expected turnout of over 70 percent. This marked different, as the poll release stated, could post "a challenge" to Obama in the general election. Going forward, a strategy targeting white voters over 30 would effect the president's numbers by the widest denominator.
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