The Economist-The old have come to dominate American politics Graphic detail
September 8, 2023 3 min 439 words
This Economist report highlights the increasing dominance of older individuals in American politics, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump being well past the median age for world leaders. The fact that only eight out of 187 leaders analyzed are older than Mr. Biden is telling. The trend towards older political leaders in the U.S. is also reflected in Congress, where people in their 40s have significantly declined as a proportion of lawmakers since 1900. While this trend could be partly attributed to increased life expectancy and structural factors favoring incumbents, it raises questions about the representation of different age groups and the adaptability of the political system. Interestingly, despite polls indicating that most Americans support age limits for elected officials and believe President Biden is too old to serve effectively, age does not seem to significantly impact voting decisions. This report underscores the need for a more diverse and inclusive political landscape that includes younger voices and perspectives. It also highlights the importance of addressing the structural factors that contribute to the aging of political leadership.
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YOUTH, OR EVEN middle age, seems sure to be absent from the presidential ballot when Americans vote in November 2024. Joe Biden, the oldest president yet, is 80; his likely rival, Donald Trump, is 77. Both are well past the median age for the world’s heads of government, which is just 62. Only eight of the 187 leaders in an analysis by the Pew Research Centre are older than Mr Biden (see chart 1). Both Americans are also much older than most of their predecessors: the median age of presidential nominees and presidents since 1900 is 55.5.
They would be less out of place in Congress. For many years, America’s lawmakers have been getting less youthful (see chart 2). In 1900 people in their 40s made up 38% of the House and Senate. Now they account for just 20%. This could in part be explained by changes in life expectancy in America (it was 47 in 1900 and is 76 now), but structural factors, such as incumbency advantage and party leaders’ bias towards recruiting established politicians as candidates, favour older people.
In midterm elections in 2022 the Senate continued to get older. But the median age in the House of Representatives edged down from 58.9 to 57.9. Now four senators and 11 House members are in their 80s, down from seven and 14 before the midterms. The proportion of Congress’s members older than 70 fell from almost a quarter to less than a fifth. That is partly because 64% of newly elected members were under 40. They include 26-year-old Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat from Florida, who is the first Gen-Z member of the House. Still, octogenarians soldier on: the 83-year-old former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, announced she will run again in 2024.
Does the ageing of Congress matter? Some would say experience brings wisdom; others worry that Washington’s gerontocracy is slow-moving and backward-looking. Some of the oldest senators, including Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority, and Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, have looked infirm in public. Polls show that nearly three-quarters of Americans favour an age limit for elected officials; 77% think Mr Biden is too old to serve effectively. But in practice Americans seem to care little about age. Research suggests that it does not sway their votes. Age is certainly not hindering Mr Trump in his quest to win the Republicans’ presidential nomination. He has an enormous lead over Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor, even though he is old enough to be the Florida governor’s father.■