The article examines fundamental demographic changes in the USA that have been shifting the electorate and as a result - American politics; with wide gaps between the generations on key social, economic, political issues. The US presidential elections since 1980 were dominated by baby boomers (born 1946-1964) and prior generations, who have cast the vast majority of votes in every presidential election. The 2016 electorate has been the most diverse in the US history due to strong growth of young generations, and especially among Hispanic eligible voters. Millennials (born 1981–1998) and X generation (born 1965-1980) surpassed Baby Boomers and more old generations whose choices differ significantly in many fields; but the key problem is who really votes. The age structure of the American electorate and its influence on the election results; the role of pensioners and those, who’ll retire in the nearest future, as voters at the federal and state levels are in focus.
population age structure, electorate, population ageing, USA.
Трансформация структуры американского электората является одним из ключевых факторов влияния на результаты выборов и, соответственно, проведение политического курса страны, что отчетливо проявилось и на прошедших в ноябре 2016 г. президентских выборах в США, где для оценки электоральной мощи той или иной группы избирателей критически важна всесторонняя оценка электората по штатам.
1. Aksenov P.A. Lebedeva L.F., Emel’yanov S.V. Rol’ gosudarstva v sotsial’nom obespechenii pensionerov: povestka XXI veka. Institut Soedinennykh Shtatov Ameriki i Kanady RAN [The role of the state in social security pensioners: the agenda of the XXI century. United States Institute of America and Canada]. Moscow, 2015. 45 p.2. Emel’yanov E.V., Frizyak N.S. Pokolenie Bebi - Buma ne ukhodit na pensiyu [Generation Baby - Boomers are not retiring]. SShA-Kanada: EPK [US-Canada EPA]. 2015, I. 9(549), pp. 90-97.
2. Emel’yanov S.V., Shcherbina A.V. Strategii pensionnogo obespecheniya v sektore malogo biznesa SShA. SShA - Kanada: EPK [Strategy pension sector in US Small Business Administration. US - Canada: EPA]. 2015, I. 9, pp. 82-89.
3. Razvitie pensionnogo obespecheniya v nachale XXI veka: mirovye tendentsii i natsional’nye osobennosti [Development of the pension at the beginning of the XXI century: global trends and national characteristics]. Moscow, ISKRAN Publ., 2015. 168 p.
4. Travkina N.M. Osobennosti prezidentskoy kampanii 2016 g. v SShA - sluchaynaya anomaliya ili predvestnik turbulentnosti? - Perspektivy [Features of the presidential campaign of 2016 in the United States - a random anomaly or a harbinger of turbulence? - Prospects]. 2016, I. (7), pp. 19-34.
5. Bureau of labor Statistics. December 19, 2013.
6. Current Population Survey. W., April 2016.
7. Lebedeva L.F., Aksenov P.A., Yemelyanov S.V, Yemelyanov E.V. The Pension Funds’ Investment Regulation at the Beginning of the 21st Century: 62 Comparative Analysis of Approaches of the USA, Canada, and the EU-15 Countries // Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 2015. Vol. 6, no. 4, August. P. 155-162. (In English).
8. Millennials match baby-boomers. Pew Research Center. Available at: http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/ 2016/05/16 (accessed 24 October 2016).
9. Small-Business Owners Say Candidates Fail to Address Issues. Gallup poll. May 4, 2016. Available at: http://www. Gallup.com/poll/191336/ (accessed 22 October 2016).
10. Thom File. Who Votes? Congressional Elections and the American Electorate. Bureau census. W., July 2015.
11. Trump and Clinton Finish With Historically Poor Images. Gallup poll. November 08. 2016. Available at: http://www. gallup.com/poll/197231/trump-clinton-finish-historically- poor-images.aspx?g_source=Election%202016&g_medium= lead&g_campaign=tiles (accessed 11 November 2016).
12. US politics election. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/ 2016/11/08/us/politics/election-exit-polls.html?_r=0 (accessed 11 November 2016).
13. Voting Age population. US Bureau Census, April 16.2016.
