If conservatives wish to have any success in winning elections in the future, they must start reaching out to young Americans–and they must start now.

A Pew Research study released today brought to light some scary figures about young people that conservatives must confront, especially since the youth vote was the deciding factor in key swing states. Here they are:

  • 44 percent of young voters identify themselves with the Democratic Party, whereas only 26 percent identify with the Republican Party and 30 percent as Independent.
  • 33 percent of young voters identify their political views as liberal, whereas only 26 percent identify their political views as conservative.
  • 53 percent of young voters approve of President Obama’s healthcare law.
  • Young voters under 30 represented 19 percent of the voter turnout population in 2012, compared to 18 percent in 2008–meaning it’s growing.

But the most troubling of the information released in this study is that nearly 6 in 10 of the voters under 30 support a more expansive role of government in solving problems. We can’t expect this mindset to change unless we start mirroring the left’s campaign efforts on college campuses.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While 33 percent of young voters support liberal political views, and 26 percent conservative, this leaves the remaining 44 percent. These are the students that haven’t made up their minds and are looking for answers–they can’t, and shouldn’t, be ignored. Conservatives should be on campuses exposing the lies and distortions that the left has duped them into believing. To name a few:

  • President Obama said you can stay on your parents’ health care plan until you’re 26? Well, that only means that you will be unemployed or underemployed because businesses are required or are incentivized to provide health insurance for their employees.
  • President Obama said he would make college “affordable’? Tuition has actually increased 25 percent under President Obama and will continue to increase because colleges have no incentive to keep tuition low while they’re receiving endless federal aid.
  • President Obama said he would make it easy to get student aid and grants? Well, he lied. Student Aid is set to be cut 8 percent if agreements aren’t made on the fiscal cliff and Pell Grants are only immune in the first year of the sequestration. Millions of students will be affected by these cuts.
  • President Obama promised you more jobs? Well, you won’t see them if taxes increase and regulations keep increasing. Businesses simply can’t afford to hire you.

Then they should be asking these questions: Want a brighter future? Do you want a job, or better yet–a career? Do you want a way to pay off those massive student loans? There is only one answer: fire the Democrats, hire us.

Conservatives can’t afford to ignore college campuses anymore and young people can’t afford being ignored. We must starting building conservative infrastructure on campuses now if we wish to see results in 2014 and 2016. If we don’t, it’s our own fault.

By Celia Bigelow