Millennials... The Future of America

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Perhaps there is hope that the millennials will get it right. After they actually take charge sometime in the future.

From Reason some interesting factoids.

Millennials Think Government Is Inefficient, Abuses Its Power, and Supports Cronyism

But young Americans also want government to guarantee health insurance and living wages; plan to vote for Democrats in 2014 and 2016

A Reason-Rupe survey of 2,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 finds 66 percent of millennials believe government is inefficient and wasteful — a substantial increase since 2009, when just 42 percent of millennials said government was inefficient and wasteful.

Nearly two-thirds of millennials, 63 percent, think government regulators favor special interests, whereas just 18 percent feel regulators act in the public’s interest. Similarly, 58 percent of 18-to-29 year-olds are convinced government agencies abuse their powers, while merely 25 percent trust government agencies to do the right thing.

The Reason-Rupe report finds this skepticism of government has millennials favoring general reductions to government spending and regulations:

73 percent of millennials favor allowing private accounts for Social Security; 51 percent favor private accounts even it means cutting Social Security benefits for current and future retirees because 53 percent of millennials say Social Security is unlikely to exist when they retire

64 percent of millennials say cutting government spending by 5 percent would help the economy

59 percent say cutting taxes would help the economy

57 percent prefer a smaller government providing fewer services with low taxes, while 41 percent prefer a larger government providing more services with high taxes

57 percent want a society where wealth is distributed according to achievement

55 percent say reducing regulations would help the economy

53 percent say reducing the size of government would help the economy

74 percent of millennials say government has a responsibility to guarantee every citizen has a place to sleep and enough to eat

However, millennials also support more government action and higher spending in a number of key areas:

Be sure to GO HERE  for the rest of the story.

Via: Memeorandum

Comments

  1. Tomorrow I'm posting a follow-up to the blog I posted on this subject earlier this week. It has statements from millennials on what they see as pros and cons in both parties, and why they tend to be Liberal/Libertarian in their ideologies. I'm going to link to this post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks in advance for the link.

    I find the millennials quite interesting. I hope we haven't set them up for failure through the fiscal irresponsibility of the past 30 years or so.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can't speak for the millennials, being a member of the Silent Generation . ..the quiet 'lucky few'.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BB, you never struck me as the silent type. The world would be poorer if you were.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anyway, the above percentage trends would trend to favor Libertarians at the expense of liberals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not so. Their political preferences are a mixed bag of Libertarian and Liberal ideas. According to Les's link, a majority will vote with the Democrats in the next two elections. Here are more items in the mixed bag:

      74 percent of millennials say government has a responsibility to guarantee every citizen has a place to sleep and enough to eat
      However, millennials also support more government action and higher spending in a number of key areas:

      71 percent favor raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour
      69 percent say it is government’s responsibility to guarantee everyone access to health care and 51 percent have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act
      68 percent say government should ensure everyone makes a living wage
      66 percent say raising taxes on the wealthy would help the economy
      63 percent say spending more on job training would help the economy
      58 percent say the government should spend more on assistance to the poor even it means higher taxes
      57 percent favor spending more money on infrastructure
      54 percent favor a larger government that provides more services, when taxes are not mentioned
      54 percent want government to guarantee everyone a college education
      Sixty-two percent of millennials describe themselves as socially liberal, while 27 percent say they are socially conservative. The gap is much narrower on economic issues, with 49 percent of millennials identifying themselves as economic liberals and 36 percent labeling themselves as economic conservatives.

      Millennials’ social liberalism is mixed with strong opposition to many nanny state regulations:

      72 percent of millennials say large sugary sodas and drinks should be allowed to be sold
      67 percent of millennials favor legalizing same-sex marriage
      61 percent say abortion should be legal in all or most cases
      61 percent say people should be able to buy foods containing trans fats
      60 percent want to allow e-cigarette use in public places
      59 percent say the government should allow online gambling
      57 percent say marijuana should be legal, although just 22 percent say cocaine should be legal
      52 percent say either the government should not set a legal drinking age or that the legal drinking age should be lower than 21

      Delete
  6. dmarks, I do not know if you studied the data in the linked report prior to your comment but assume based on your comment you did not.

    Shaw is correct, the 18 -29 year olds are both libertarian and liberal. They have a live and let live perspective on the personal social level but view government as having the ability (power) to good. It is interesting they believe government should cut spending 5% (I assume they mean in real actual cuts and given their support for domestic social spending they apparently understand cuts in waste and the DOD, read MIC, are what they must be thinking.

    I am not saying they are necessarily correct, but, they do represent the general trend in thinking in high schools, colleges, universities, and American society in genera for bigger more liberal government. Hell, even businesses (most anyway) have no problem accepting government subsidies that benefit them.

    These youngins will no doubt "evolve" in their thinking as they mature and take on the responsibilities of family and community. Some will no doubt grow more conservative, other more liberal, most I suspect will remain libertarian to the extent they are now.

    What does it all mean? Our nation is ever changing and as we move further and further away from our beginnings as a nation some 225 + years ago the perspective(s) held by Americans are changing as well.

    While all of this is not good, neither is it all bad. It simply is what it is and tie moves on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Les,
      87% of Math teachers say that Millennials' math is wrong. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

      Delete
  7. RN: I just see a lot of contradictions between the Liberal and Libertarian views. The big scale economic and budget concerns definitely tilt Libertarian. While pot, gay marriage, abortion tilt liberal.



    The 5% cuts mentioned would be radical in today's environment. Not in keeping with liberals, or even conservatives. Paul Ryan, as you remember, was castigated as a budget slasher for proposing massive increases in federal (including social) spending. This? This is real cuts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "...pot, gay marriage, abortion tilt liberal."

    Every libertarian I know thinks the government has no business in those areas. From what I've read at libertarian blogs and from what my friends tell me, those three items are individual choices that the government should not prohibit. I agree with them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What I see is that millennials want a big shift from government spending to corporations (defense spending being a major source) to government spending for people (social issues being a major source).

    You know, government for the People!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You overlooked "57 percent prefer a smaller government providing fewer services with low taxes" which means a shift from government spending, to the people spending. More of the government letting the people control their lives. Which fits in with the social attitudes.

      Delete
  10. We assume the millennials are a product of the times of their youth and development. Sometimes
    derisively termed the 'entitlement generation', the broad description of the group typically includes"
    Ambitious yet clueless
    •Optimistic
    •Patriotic
    •Impatient
    •Entrepreneurial
    •Individualistic yet group-oriented
    •Want to be like peers but with a unique twist
    •Very informal
    •Busy
    •Short attention span
    •Acknowledge and admire some authorities
    •More culturally and racially tolerant
    •Acceptant of change
    •Un-trusting of “the man”
    •Achievement-oriented
    •Financially savvy
    •Want instant gratification
    •“Everybody wins!” --according to one academic/business/polling study.
    Famous millennials usually consist of showbiz/pro athlete types, but there are medal of honor
    winners and surgeons. Just as the Greatest Generation had some not-so-great members, we should
    approach generalizations about the 'generations' with caution. Certainly, they are the first demographic to be saddled with significant student loan debt, among the first to be free of the military draft and a generation well equipped for the computer age. Significantly, IMO, they tend to be less
    interested in politics: seniors with a degree: 91% vote/seniors with GED 83% vote. millennials on the other hand: 18-34 with a degree-83% vote/18-34 with GED 44% vote. RN is right: people, even generations, change as they age. My take is that the millennials may be discouraged (or energized)
    by the recent and continuing politicized dysfunction; extreme views, big money, media hype, etc
    which flabbergast us ancients.

    ReplyDelete
  11. ...cuts in waste and the DOD, read MIC, are what they must be thinking.

    I haven't looked a the numbers, but I'd guess we could cut a lot more than 5 percent from those areas while increasing spending in others (as we should). In any case, the important takeaway from this Reason article is, IMO, that young Americans also want government to guarantee health insurance and living wages and plan to vote for Democrats in 2014 and 2016. Although I find it odd that (given this) they got it wrong in regards to just about all the survey questions (the ones RN excerpted). A majority gave the wrong answer for all but the last question.

    ReplyDelete

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