A possible reason for age depolarization that occurred to me

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Obviously there has been a ton of coverage of younger voters seeming to swing away from Biden in polls, and perhaps older voters swinging towards him.  And a lot of people have been skeptical that this is a real phenomenon.

But it occurred to me that there might be a very straightforward reason this is happening that has nothing to do with policy or generational differences.  

It might just be all about our mental image of Biden.

Gen-Z voters have only ever known Biden as a very old man. Their entire mental image of him is the tired and frail person we mostly see today.

But older voters have a ton of experience with Biden as a younger and much more vital person.  I imagine that to many Gen X voters, our most permanent mental image of Biden is the high-energy Jason Sudeikis impression.  It's hard to get that out of our heads after seeing it for decades.  I'm still kind of shocked at how bad Biden looks every time I've seen him over the past year or so as it doesn't conform to how I "think" he should look.

This should be very worrisome for Democrats.  They're not going to reverse to the mental image of Biden in the minds of young voters.  And the much better image that older voters have is much more likely to erode the more he gets exposed over the course this year's campaign.

[oldtimer]

A simpler reason:


Minorities are younger => Minorities more GOP = Young more GOP

[Arizona Iced Tea]

A simpler reason:


Minorities are younger => Minorities more GOP = Young more GOP

Do you think we reach a point where non college minority young men start voting to the left of white young college women, or has that started already?

[oldtimer]

A simpler reason:


Minorities are younger => Minorities more GOP = Young more GOP

Do you think we reach a point where non college minority young men start voting to the left of white young college women, or has that started already?

https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NPR_PBS-NewsHour_Marist-Poll_USA-NOS-and-Tables_202402021437.pdf

Approval of Biden:

Blacks 57%
White College Women 55%
Everyone else under 50%

I guess it's happening already, if you mean more GOP.