politics

bleak ... economic prospects

Except Trump voters were more likely to be small business owners.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/05/its-time-to-bust-the-myth-most-trump-voters-were-not-working-class/

How is it that the left isn't discussing inequality enough for these guys? That's a load.

https://www.voterstudygroup.org/publication/the-five-types-trump-voters

On economic issues, Staunch Conservatives and the Free Marketeers share an overwhelming opposition to tax hikes on the wealthy, business regulation, and government-provided health care. They have high levels of social trust in other people and worry less about whether the system is rigged. They also take conventional conservative positions on the environment and on cultural issues like same-sex marriage.

Staunch conservatives make up 31% and Free Marketers make up 25% of Trump voters, that's majority.

Further the high levels of social trust displayed by the staunch conservative set speak to them having successful lives. You don't end up with high levels of social trust if you are beaten down, can't find work, and people act like you just aren't trying hard enough. The staunch conservatives also deny climate change, which is harder for young people who are experiencing pollution and hot, dry summers to deny.

So the majority of Trump voters are older conservatives with comfortable lives.

American Preservationists have low levels of formal education and the lowest incomes of the Trump groups — and non-Trump voters as well. Despite being the most likely group to say that religion is “very important” to them, they are the least likely to attend church regularly. They are the most likely group to be on Medicaid, to report a permanent disability that prevents them from working, and to regularly smoke cigarettes. Despite watching the most TV, they are the least politically informed of the Trump groups.

By contrast, the "poor" group, American Preservationists, only clock in at 20% of Trump voters. This lie that they're all pushed to Trump by economics when the "poor" group is also the uneducated group you're gonna have a hard sell on proving to me that they even understand enough about economics to be upset about it. Or, barring that, whatever they're upset about they still don't actually understand with enough depth to really be making an informed decision.

Either the young men are truly in the minority or they are working long overnight shifts and not actually heading to the voting booth when they get off work. In the latter case, they aren't a meaningful political bloc if they don't vote.