Multimedia: The Millennials Get Progressive
Two new studies show a progressive generation with views that are likely here to stay.By Christy Harvey
May 15, 2009
This week, the Center for American Progress released two new studies on the political beliefs of our youngest generation of voters, the Millennials: "The Political Ideology of the Millennial Generation" and "New Progressive America: The Millennial Generation."
According to the reports, Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 are a "generation with progressive views in all areas and big expectations for change that will fundamentally reshape our electorate."
The bottom line: "Millennials are much more progressive on many issues than previous generations when they were younger. This is true not just on social issues such as gay marriage but also on issues concerning the role of government and policy goals such as achieving universal health care. In all likelihood, Millennial progressivism is here to stay."
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Know Five Things
1. Who Are They
- The Millennials are the generation born between 1978 and 2000.
- Right now, Millennial adults are 60 percent white and 40 percent minority (18 percent Hispanic, 14 percent black, 5 percent Asian, and 3 percent other).
- The proportion of minority Millennial adults will rise to 41 percent in 2012, 43 percent in 2016, and 44 percent in 2020 (21 percent Hispanic, 14 percent black, 6 percent Asian, and 3 percent other).
2. How They Vote
- Last November’s election was the first in which the 18- to 29-year-old age group was drawn exclusively from the Millennial generation, and they voted for Obama by a 34-point margin, 66 percent to 32 percent.
- From the report: "Between now and 2018, the number of Millennials of voting age will increase by about four and a half million a year, and Millennial eligible voters will increase by about 4 million a year. In 2020—the first presidential election where all Millennials will have reached voting age—this generation will be 103 million strong, of which about 90 million will be eligible voters."
- What that means: "Those 90 million Millennial eligible voters will represent just under 40 percent of America’s eligible voters."
3. How Millennials Are Different
- From the report: Asked to choose two American political values that are most important to them, 48 percent of young people say “opportunity” and 41 percent select “equality.” In comparison, their older counterparts favor “liberty” (41 percent) and “justice” (36 percent) as their top values.
- Younger Americans are most progressive (56.6) on cultural and social values and the least progressive on economic and domestic policy (53.1). In contrast, older voters are most progressive on the role of government (53.6) and the least progressive on cultural beliefs (50.1).
4. What Millennials Want: Domestic Policy
- From the report: "One likely consequence of the Millennial generation’s rise is an end to the so-called culture wars that have marked American politics for the last several decades."
- Millennials support gay marriage, take race and gender equality as givens, are tolerant of religious and family diversity, have an open and positive attitude toward immigration, and generally display little interest in fighting over the divisive social issues of the past.
- Almost two-thirds agree that religious faith should focus more on promoting tolerance, social justice, and peace in society, and less on opposing abortion or gay rights.
- Millennials are particularly resolute on the need for universal health care...Seventy-one percent agree that the federal government should guarantee health care coverage for all Americans.
5. What Millennials Want: Foreign Policy
- As a generation, they are more oriented toward a multilateral and cooperative foreign policy than their elders. They are highly likely to believe that a positive image of America abroad is necessary to achieve our national security goals and that America's security is best promoted by working through diplomacy, alliances, and international institutions.
- They have also generally been the age group most hostile to the war in Iraq and to former President George W. Bush’s handling of it. Exit polls from the 2008 election showed that only 22 percent of 18- to 29-year-old Millennials approved of the Iraq war, compared to 77 percent who disapproved.
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