US Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is wildly popular among young voters in the US. All across social media you can find can find young people “feeling the Bern,” drumming up support for the 74-year old democratic socialist, wearing Bernie buttons and T-shirts, spinning out hashtag slogans (#berndownforwhat) and memes and even getting Bernie tattoos.
There’s no doubt that this wildfire rush across social media has fueled Bernie’s rise by getting his name and message out there through a community of supporters who celebrate one another.
And this in turn has helped fuel massive voting mandates among young people in the primary season so far.
In the Democratic Party Primary in Iowa, Sanders won 84% of the 18-29 vote, compared to his Democratic Party opponent Hillary Clinton’s 14%. In the New Hampshire primary, he won 83% of this demographic.
Underneath this giddy momentum, however, is a generational shift.
No demographic is monolithic--and this is especially true for the most diverse age bracket of voting age in the US--but the overwhelming preference for Sanders suggests some unifying interests among millennials.
And, according to lots of research, there are some broad ideological similarities
First, this generation’s growing diversity has fostered a prevailing sense of tolerance and appreciation for others.
Next, millennials care about sustainability and want to act boldly to rein in climate change.
Finally, they are more concerned about economic and social inequalities around the world than other generations.
These views suggest the emergence of an activist generation that wants to end the injustices of the world (working at Global Citizen, I see the proof every day through your actions).
Part of this is fueled by self-interest: climate change is becoming increasingly ominous and economic inequality is becoming more acutely felt.
But it’s also being fueled by a sense of togetherness, a sense that the collective can overcome the challenges of today.
And that’s where Bernie Sanders’ appeal lies. Democratic socialism means a society that works democratically and fairly for all. Under democratic socialism, the welfare of the many are elevated over the success of the few. Democratic socialists understand that a society is only as strong as its weakest members.
Bernie is a candidate that insistently invokes the plural nature of his campaign. Just check out his latest advertisement:
Whether or not Sanders can sustain this momentum is unclear (although he has the most individual campaign contributions in US history).
What is certain, though, is that millennials are a generation of “us,” not a generation of “me,” and it is this sense of unity that has inspired an embrace of democratic socialism in the US.
This has implications far beyond the current US presidential race. These views of fairness and tolerance are shared among emerging generations throughout in the world. Collectively they suggest that humanity is ready to face and overcome the biggest challenges of today: extreme poverty, climate change, gender inequality, etc.
Bernie Sanders has tapped into this fervent sense of purpose. But it is not limited to his campaign. As current world leaders try to achieve the Global Goals by 2030, they will have to leverage the energy and vision of these incoming leaders of the world.