I asked the kids in my college class to list the things they were concerned about in this Presidential election, and to rank them. Democracy came out on top.

Access to reproductive rights, especially abortion, was their second greatest concern. The economy, which the news media tell you is what concerns Americans most, came in third.

Climate change was next. Then foreign policy issues, especially regarding Israel and Palestine. Gun control, and issues of equality, especially racial and ethnic equality, were also high on the list. Immigration and border issues were eighth on the list, not a high priority.

Here’s the complete list in rank order of concern:

1 Democracy

2 Reproductive rights

3 Economy

4 Climate change

5 Foreign policy

6 Gun control

7 Equality   

8 Immigration

9 Crime

10 Supreme court

11 Student loans

12 LGBTQ rights

13 Voting rights

14 Healthcare

15 Tax policies/tariffs

This is not a scientific poll, of course, just a snapshot of one class in one college. And a rich college at that. After retiring from UC-Santa Barbara I agreed to teach a class each Fall at Claremont McKenna College, part of the Claremont cluster colleges.

The tuition at Claremont McKenna, including room and board, is $80k a year. Many of the kids are econ majors and most end up in business. I suspect most of their parents vote Republican.

In my class half are male, half female, with a smattering of international students. They are very bright, and remarkably engaged in the topic of the class, global conflict. Needless to say, Ukraine and Gaza are on our minds.  

Still, I didn’t expect this outcome. For the future of democracy to be the issue of greatest concern, especially for these folks, was surprising. It says a lot about the concern of this young generation for the future of our political life.