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| The cover of new survey by Reason-Rupe. |
Liberal, conservative, progressive, limited government, big government, socialism, capitalism, fair share, greater good, individual responsibility...
When you hear these words you immediately have an image of something - either good or bad depending upon if you believe in the concept or if you're going by what you've heard or associate with the term.
The other thing was the difference between preaching to the choir and trying to persuade or influence others.
Too often on the right side of the political spectrum, we are preaching to the choir and using terms they like, or ones that appealed to us as we formed our political opinions.
That's okay - and something we need.
But if we're trying to persuade others, we have to understand how they interpret words and messages and then use the phrases that will resonate with them.
So this post is definitely preaching to the choir about how to change our language and our phrases in order to appeal to those who might be receptive to a conservative philosophy if we weren't using words that immediately turned them away.
A recent Reason-Rupe survey on millennials is a good place to start.
Millennials are 18-29 years old and, according to the survey, "trust neither political party, are social liberals and fiscal centrists, and are supportive of both business and government. They favor free markets, but aren’t sure whether markets or government best drive income mobility."
They're less partisan and more receptive to a non-traditional candidate. They don't trust either party, especially when it comes to issues of privacy. They overwhelmingly (78 percent) think the budget deficit and national debt are are major problems and a majority believe that businesses pay too much or just the right amount of taxes.
As the Daily Signal explains:
Millennials say they prefer a “larger government” that provides more services. They don’t tend to think of “big government” leading to higher taxes and heavier regulation. Once the possibility of higher taxes to support a larger government is mentioned, though, millennials’ support shifts.
The survey also says "millennials believe in self-determination and endorse the values underpinning the free market system."
If you ask them to choose between capitalism and socialism, only 52 percent will pick capitalism. But if you ask them to choose between a free-market economy and a government managed economy, the support for free-markets jumps to 64 percent.
The survey shows two critical things:
1. They either don't know or don't care about various terms and what they mean, which is scary in and of itself.
2. They do understand concepts and are more likely to align with conservative economic principles so long as they are phrased to reflect the concept.
Another important fact from the survey: they vote.
As the Daily Signal explains:
"The 18- to 29-year-old demographic played a crucial role in the 2008 and 2012 elections. These millennials were instrumental in electing Barack Obama to the presidency not once, but twice. In 2008, Obama won 66 percent of voting millennials; in 2012, he captured 67 percent.
Emily Ekins, polling director for Reason Foundation, says that had those ages 18 to 29 not voted in 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be in the White House."
This is good news for those of us on the conservative side, but it means we have to change how we characterize our positions if we expect to reach this key demographic.
But it's not just the millennials. Too many of our friends and neighbors are just not into politics. It's something they think about only in passing or when they go to vote. They often have the same reaction as millennials - or they tune out when they hear certain words or phrases and never get to hear the message behind the language.
Bottom line: if we are going to share the message, we have to change our words.
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