Lasting Damage for G.O.P.? Young Voters Reject Donald Trump

To understand the concern, and in some cases the panic, of many Republican officials over Donald Trump, consider this fact: Young people generally don’t like him. The potential of losing an election is one thing, but as polling numbers suggest, the Trump brand could weigh on the G.O.P. for a generation.

■ In a recent USA Today/Rock the Vote poll, respondents under 35 said they would pick Hillary Clinton over Mr. Trump, 52-19. Those lopsided numbers would be hard to reverse if Mr. Trump were the nominee because he is such a known quantity. When the respondents were limited to whites only, her lead was still substantial, 45-26.

■ A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton essentially tied among people 40 and older, but with those under 40 preferring her by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

■ In a national survey led by the Republican pollster Frank Luntz, 1,000 people 18 to 26 were asked: “Out of today’s major political figures, who do you like and respect the most?”

Thirty-one percent chose Bernie Sanders, followed by 18 percent for Barack Obama and 11 percent for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Trump scored highest among Republicans, at 9 percent. In USA Today, Mr. Luntz called it a “a chasm of disconnection that renders every prominent national Republican irrelevant with the voting bloc that could control campaigns for the next 30 years.”

■ Among Republicans, Mr. Trump has retained popularity with the young. He recently led the G.O.P. field at 26 percent among those 18 to 34. But 26 percent was lower than Mr. Trump’s support among G.O.P. backers over all.