New and Old
Marvin L. Kalb, director of the Joan Shorenstein Barone Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, says activist groups that assert the need for generational change are nothing new.
"This [generational activism] has been around since the 1968 [presidential] campaign," he says.
But Kalb thinks today's young people are unique because they are more aware of the world than their '60s counterparts.
"The experience from the '92 campaign is that 20-year olds are more interested today," says Kalb, adding that the end of the Cold War and the souring of the economy are catalysts for increased political awareness among the nation's youth.
Kalb, however, adds that twentysomethings feel less deeply about politics than previous generations.
"[Twentysomethings], despite their numbers, are superficially involved," he says.
And that make Generation X a particularly difficult target for political activists.