Why are Millennials more...Liberal?

[Retro Rob]

The generation born since 1981 is the age group most likely to vote Democratic. The eldest of them are in their 30s now, and they continue to be much more liberal than previous-age cohorts at the same point in their lives. A big new survey by the Pew Research Center seeks to understand why. Its report carries political warnings for conservatives -- and some larger warnings for us all.

They are more likely to have children outside marriage (47% of their children are born outside marriage, compared with only 35% of Generation X children in 1996). They are poorer than their predecessor generations at the same point in their life cycles.....

Here's a generation detached from religious institutions and only weakly attached to the country: Only 49% of millennials describe themselves as patriotic, compared with 64% of the next older cohort and 75% of baby boomers. Millennials are alienated. What will happen if they feel disappointed as well?

.....

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/opinion/frum-millennials-survey/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I've always had an interest in this question. Just to be extremely general, I'd posit the failure of Government and distrust of religion, coupled with the conservative attempt at legislating morality is the leading likely cause.

I also think that not having a secure financial future, or feeling secure about it, could also cause uneasiness and distrust. Heck, my wife and I were somewhat discouraged from buying a house because we were simply unsure about how we'd fair economically in the next 10-15 years from now.

Any thoughts?

 

[fskimospy]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/opinion/frum-millennials-survey/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I've always had an interest in this question. Just to be extremely general, I'd posit the failure of Government and distrust of religion, coupled with the conservative attempt at legislating morality is the leading likely cause.

I also think that not having a secure financial future, or feeling secure about it, could also cause uneasiness and distrust. Heck, my wife and I were somewhat discouraged from buying a house because we were simply unsure about how we'd fair economically in the next 10-15 years from now.

Any thoughts?

Why would the 'failure of government' make them more liberal? That same survey shows that younger generations want MORE government, not less.

 

[Moonbeam]

Perhaps wanting more government and trusting government are two different things. I would like to see more good government and expect to see a lot more bad government.

 

[Retro Rob]

Why would the 'failure of government' make them more liberal? That same survey shows that younger generations want MORE government, not less.

Thanks.

I was really trying to correlate that particular point with mistrust, not directly to being liberal.

 

[sandorski]

The Reagan Conservatism has turned out to be a dud. Add in the rise of Rightwing Christianity taking much control of the Republican Party and you have a double whammy against Conservatism.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Because they're young remember the rule. If you are young & Republican you have no heart or dedire, if you're old and a Democrat you have no money.

 

[Moonbeam]

The Reagan Conservatism has turned out to be a dud. Add in the rise of Rightwing Christianity taking much control of the Republican Party and you have a double whammy against Conservatism.

I don't think it's just religion that turns people off. The Republican party, the conservative brain, is galvanized by fear. But since the cold war ended conservative fear has lacked a credible foreign target to generate hysteria and votes about and has focused instead on liberals as the threat. They have polarized the country, introduced insanity and hate against their fellow Americans and are reaping their just deserts as their empire of mass hysteria and insanity runs off a bridge too far. They have simply become a joke emperor in a clown suit.

 

[berzerker60]

1) No Cold War to brainwash you into a frothing rage at anything that could be construed as shading towards hinting at ~communism~!!! the most evil of all things!
2) Trickle down has been a complete failure forever
3) Came of age during the Bush administration, which was super depressing
4) A tough economy makes people aware that life isn't actually a meritocracy, and some good people also need help from time to time
4a) Coming of age post-Civil Rights era means substantially less anger at blacks disguised as 'welfare queens,' so a more rational approach is possible to issues of the safety net

 

[Mai72]

Oh lets see...

1. The average age of Congress is 90
*yea, I am exaggerating but you do have to admit that they are old.

 

[Moonbeam]

Because they're young remember the rule. If you are young & Republican you have no heart or dedire, if you're old and a Democrat you have no money.

You mean if you are older and wealthy and a democrat, you aren't attached to your money as your source of self esteem. Money means nothing. Well off or poor, life is almost the same. Wealthy people have options others don't but they may also have fears that others don't, like the fear of losing their money. What makes people poor is feeling poor, a form of self hate and unrelated to the actual amount you may have. This is why the rich can't fit through the eye of the needle if money is their God.

 

[alzan]

Because they're smarter?

/couldn't resist

There are lots of reasons; partially listed by berserker60.

Allowing for and seeking change is a good thing.

Continuing a policy, action, etc. because we've always done it, it works most of the time or works for most people isn't necessarily a good thing for government, companies, organizations or people.

We should be open to new ideas and new ways of dealing with issues, preferably with our own biases removed.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Why would the 'failure of government' make them more liberal? That same survey shows that younger generations want MORE government, not less.

It isn't that people want more government, they just want one that is functional. Current conservatives are doing their damnedest to make sure that it isn't and won't be for a long time.

The Reagan Conservatism has turned out to be a dud. Add in the rise of Rightwing Christianity taking much control of the Republican Party and you have a double whammy against Conservatism.

This is a big reason, I grew up in a very conservative area and was that way myself until I realized that I shouldn't hate someone who is different from myself simply for being different.

 

[ElFenix]

Because they're young remember the rule. If you are young & Republican you have no heart or dedire, if you're old and a Democrat you have no money.

they continue to be much more liberal than previous-age cohorts at the same point in their lives.

read the article. millenials are extra liberal.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

You mean if you are older and wealthy and a democrat, you aren't attached to your money as your source of self esteem. Money means nothing. Well off or poor, life is almost the same. Wealthy people have options others don't but they may also have fears that others don't, like the fear of losing their money. What makes people poor is feeling poor, a form of self hate and unrelated to the actual amount you may have. This is why the rich can't fit through the eye of the needle if money is their God.

Relax its a joke.....sort of....

Being more serious the hot button issues for conservative's are really odd for someone who is young to be concerned about. Maybe national defense but after some many years of war we're all tired of it. Would it be strange for a young person to worry about deficit spending, controlling abortions/birth control, religion and religious expression, criminal penalty for drugs. Yes its possible for someone to be very involved in those issues but usually that person is an Eagle Scout or something that is not considered cool to other young people. Generally speaking liberals are young and it has been that way for decades.

 

[MrPickins]

I wonder if some of it is nostalgia for the best economic times of their youth, which happened under Clinton.

 

[Pray To Jesus]

Progs are very good at destroying the middle class.

 

[MrPickins]

Progs are very good at destroying the middle class.

Do you ever have anything constructive to add?

 

[cubby1223]

Young people are always more liberal, they are getting involved for the first time and have high hopes that they can solve all the problems with humanity through honest government action.

Everyone older has had their hopes stripped from them and tend to focus more on reality and what is realistically possible, with the knowledge that government isn't a shining unicorn that rains goodness upon us all.

 

[leper84]

Bunch of spoiled, whiny, entitled little shits. When parents stop rewarding bad behavior with a belt and instead give them a shiny new toy, what do you expect?

They aren't liberal in the sense of more personal freedoms. They're "liberal" in the sense they want free crap cause its not fair they don't have it.

If it weren't a crime to whoop your child's ass when they deserve it, we wouldn't see so much of it. The baby boomers and hippies are to blame.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Progs are very good at destroying the middle class.

For you Pray To Jesus, now back to the Millennial discussion.

 

[Jhhnn]

Young people are always more liberal, they are getting involved for the first time and have high hopes that they can solve all the problems with humanity through honest government action.

Everyone older has had their hopes stripped from them and tend to focus more on reality and what is realistically possible, with the knowledge that government isn't a shining unicorn that rains goodness upon us all.

Remarkable. Perhaps Millenials recognize that the explosive growth of inequality, aka trickle down economics, has left most of them as the working proletariat, the underclass. Perhaps they recognize that the only powerful institution in which they actually have a voice is government.

Yes, it's about what's possible, given the alternatives.

 

[berzerker60]

Young people are always more liberal, they are getting involved for the first time and have high hopes that they can solve all the problems with humanity through honest government action.

Everyone older has had their hopes stripped from them and tend to focus more on reality and what is realistically possible, with the knowledge that government isn't a shining unicorn that rains goodness upon us all.

The old conventional wisdom that people get more conservative as they get older isn't actually true.

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2010/12/you_never_forget_your_first.html

Still, there is a remarkable connection between the ballot cast by a voter today and the politics of his youth: Voters who turned 18 during the Kennedy era are more likely to vote for Democrats than those just a few years their senior, who came of age in the (Republican) Eisenhower years.

Bunch of spoiled, whiny, entitled little shits. When parents stop rewarding bad behavior with a belt and instead give them a shiny new toy, what do you expect?

They aren't liberal in the sense of more personal freedoms. They're "liberal" in the sense they want free crap cause its not fair they don't have it.

If it weren't a crime to whoop your child's ass when they deserve it, we wouldn't see so much of it. The baby boomers and hippies are to blame.

Oh grandpa, you say the dardest things

 

[unokitty]

Any thoughts?

Is this from the same Pew Research that found A Record Number of Young Adults Living in Their Parents’ Homes?

The the Pew Research Report cited by CNN found, "... about half of all Boomers (53%) say their political views have grown more conservative as they have aged, while just 35% say they have grown more liberal."

The same Pew Research Report also found white and non-white Millennials have significantly different views on the role of government. In Specific:

On balance, white Millennials say they would prefer a smaller government that provides fewer services (52%), rather than a bigger government that provides more services (39%). Non-white Millennials lean heavily toward a bigger government: 71% say they would prefer a bigger government that provides more services, while only 21% say they would prefer a smaller government. The racial gaps are about as wide among Gen Xers and Boomers.

I've got a thought.

I think that you would benefit from reading the actual Pew Research Report rather than the spin from CNN. Here's a link Millennials in Adulthood.

Another thought from Winston Churchill
"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart.

Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

It was true in Churchill's time.

Pew Research found that as Boomers aged they became more conservative.

After the Millennials move away from their parents homes and gain some experience, I'd be surprised if it wasn't true for them as well...

Though, I also hope that their primary view of themselves remains as Pew Research found it. Not as Democrats. Not as Republicans. But as independents.

The political views of Millennials differ significantly across racial and ethnic lines. About half of white Millennials (51%) say they are political independents. The remainder divide between the Republican (24%) and Democratic (19%) parties. Among non-white Millennials, about as many (47%) say they are independent. But nearly twice as many (37%) identify as Democrats while just 9% identify as Republicans.

These partisan patterns are closely linked to views of Obama. While Millennials as a group are somewhat more approving of Obama than Gen Xers, Boomers or Silents, these differences are driven more by race and ethnicity than by age. White Millennials’ views of Obama are not substantially different from those of older whites. Some 34% of white Millennials approve of the job Obama is doing as president, compared with 33% of Gen Xers, 37% of Boomers and 28% of Silents. By contrast 67% of non-white Millennials give Obama high marks for the job he’s doing as president.

Uno

 

[berzerker60]

I've got a thought.

I think that you would benefit from reading the actual Pew Research Report rather than the spin from CNN. Here's a link Millennials in Adulthood.

Another thought from Winston Churchill
"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart.

Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

It was true in Churchill's time.

Pew Research found that as Boomers aged they became more conservative.

After the Millennials move away from their parents homes and gain some experience, I'd be surprised if it wasn't true for them as well...

Though, I also hope that their primary view of themselves remains as Pew Research found it. Not as Democrats. Not as Republicans. But as independents.

Most 'independents' are actually partisans who vote the same way the VAST majority of the time.

Anyway:

http://www.gwern.net/docs/dnb/2007-danigelis.pdf
Population Aging, Intracohort Aging, and Sociopolitical Attitudes
Nicholas L. Danigelis, Melissa Hardy and Stephen J. Cutler
American Sociological Review 2007 72: 812

Abstract

Prevailing stereotypes of older people hold that their attitudes are inflexible or that
aging tends to promote increasing conservatism in sociopolitical outlook. In spite of
mounting scientific evidence demonstrating that learning, adaptation, and reassessment
are behaviors in which older people can and do engage, the stereotype persists. We use
U.S. General Social Survey data from 25 surveys between 1972 and 2004 to formally
assess the magnitude and direction of changes in attitudes that occur within cohorts at
different stages of the life course. We decompose changes in sociopolitical attitudes into
the proportions attributable to cohort succession and intracohort aging for three
categories of items: attitudes toward historically subordinate groups, civil liberties, and
privacy. We find that significant intracohort change in attitudes occurs in cohorts-inlater-
stages (age 60 and older) as well as cohorts-in-earlier-stages (ages 18 to 39), that
the change for cohorts-in-later-stages is frequently greater than that for cohorts-inearlier-
stages, and that the direction of change is most often toward increased tolerance
rather than increased conservatism. These findings are discussed within the context of
population aging and development.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Why would the 'failure of government' make them more liberal? That same survey shows that younger generations want MORE government, not less.

He could be addressing the inadequacies of tribal government to govern a population with greater independence.

Conservative government is insular and about discrimination for the benefit of the ruling class. Discrimination doesn't work so well when you are less homogeneous as it interferes with the freedom of more people.
With television giving us some commonalities as a wider culture and the interstate highway system/ airlines opening up travel, small-town small-mindedness is seen as restrictive to the whole. But with McCarthy and Nixon we saw that small-mindedness with greater centralization doesn't work either.

You can't effectively rule a multicultural nation with conservatard thought processes. Individual conservatards will be at odds with each other. Liberal principles are needed to join dissimilar people into a greater community.