Occupy Wall Street having an Impact

Last week the Harvard Institute of Politics (PDF) announced that only 1/3 of young voters are following the OWS movement and that less (21 percent) align themselves with the beliefs and attitudes of the protesters and 44 percent aren't sure.

"One-third (33%) not supportive and 46% either unsure or refused to answer."

What seems to have gotten a little lost in the idea that 2/3 of young people aren't paying attention to the OWS movement - is the way the question was worded is "How closely have you been following Occupy Wall Street" and 2/3 of 18-29 year olds said "not closely" where as 1/3 said "not at all." Which means that the reality is that 2/3 are actually following it - just 1/3 of them aren't following it that closely.

This is interesting given the latest Pew survey that shows two-thirds of Americans believe there are "very strong" or "strong" conflicts between the wealthy and the poor. That number is up 19 percent from 2010.

According to Slate

"While the Occupy movement dominated headlines in recent months, a wealth of reporting and data on the issue of economic inequality also brought the topic front and center for many Americans. The AP explains: "In recent weeks, a slew of recent census data have illustrated a widening divide, including the share of overall U.S. wealth held by the top 10 percent of the population that increased from 49 percent in 2005 to 56 percent in 2009."

So it looks like we're not alone after all.