millennials and politics

Running head: Millennials and Political Views !1

A Profile of Millennials and Their Political Views

Secondary and Qualitative Research

Bonnie McEwan

Part-time Assistant Professor

The New School

Millennials and Political Views !2

A Profile of Millennials and Their Political Views

Introduction

Much has been asserted about the generation of young adults called Millennials—those

born in the last 20 or so years of the 20th century—and many of those pronouncements conflict

with one another. There is not even consensus on the range of birth dates that identify Millenni-

als. Researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss (1992), who coined the term, say Millennials

are those born between 1982 and 2004, while the Pew Research Center narrows the range to

1981 through 1997 and Gallup, the well-known polling company, uses 1981 through 1996. For

the purposes of this analysis, the age range of Millennials is set at those born between 1981 and

2000. These dates put the oldest Millennials today at age 35 and the youngest at age 15.

Questions about the political views of Millennials as a generation have gained increased

interest since 2008, when the cohort was credited with tipping the scales toward the successful

election of Barak Obama as U.S. president. There is little dispute that Millennials were organized

through a smart application of digital technology, particularly by using mobile devices (Lenhart

et. al., 2010), but there is not as much clarity regarding Millennials’ political views. They over-

whelmingly preferred young, change-oriented, mixed-race Obama to the usual old-boy types rep-

resented by John McCain and Mitt Romney. This preference extended to the 2012 presidential

election as well, when Obama was preferred by 60 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and

29 (Kingkade, 2013, n.p.). Whether that preference extends beyond the personal characteristics

of a candidate to constitute a rejection of Republican-style conservatism or a commitment to

Democratic liberalism is less certain. There are, however, indications that Millennials tend to be

less concerned with traditional social issues like abortion and more interested in finding effective


ways to address problems like climate change than are many of their elders. This analysis con-

siders the relevant literature and attempts to draw upon a range of research and news coverage to

create a snapshot of Millennials’ emerging political consciousness.

Methodology of Secondary Research

Using the keywords “millennials and politics,” two main database searches were con-

ducted, one in Google Scholar and a second in Google News. After eliminating derivative news

stories and research that was conducted 10 or more years ago (prior to 2007), a core group of 24

articles remained. Of those, four focused on the 2016 elections and the remaining 20 on earlier

elections and related public affairs topics.

The articles were analyzed for evidence of three factors: 1) general characteristics and

habits of the Millennial cohort, 2) overall attitudes of voting-age Millennials toward public issues

of national importance, elected office holders, and the political process, and 3) candidate prefer-

ences of voting-age Millennials in the 2016 election and the rationale behind those choices.

General Characteristics of Millennials

As of June 2015, there were 83.1 million Millennials, making them the largest U.S. gen-

eration born to date, easily surpassing the 75.4 million Baby Boomers (Fry, 2015). Forty percent

of them are non-white or Hispanic and virtually all of them are digital natives. This means they

are highly connected through technology:

• 9 in 10 are online and 62 percent are wirelessly connected when not at home.

• 75 percent use social networking sites and 55 percent of those check social sites daily.

• Just 35 percent believe that technology has the potential to isolate them from others. Indeed,

they see technology as enhancing human connections and improving communication.


• Exhibit 1 shows the numbers of Millennials who are connected via wireless technology as

compared to other age groups.

Exhibit 1. Wirelessly Connected by Age

Many Millennials have abandoned their childhood religions, particularly those who were

raised Roman Catholic. They see religions as “strongly morally judgmental without accepting

truly religious missions like helping the poor and socially disenfranchised” (Abdul-Alim, 2012).

Because they have been so connected for so long, most are aware of scandals such as the abuse

of children by Catholic priests and the lavish lifestyles of some Evangelical pastors. This has

contributed to a feeling that many who profess religious values are, in reality, hypocrites.

The nearly limitless choices of products and services offered to them by the online mar-

ketplace, coupled with the massive bombardment of advertising and marketing schemes designed


to encourage consumption have made Millennials skeptical of the things they read, see, and hear.

Thus, they tend to rely on their friends and their own research abilities to make purchasing deci-

sions, rather than turning to intermediaries such as salespeople, journalists, political parties, and

other experts (Diggles, 2014). They have a “deep desire for authenticity” and will avoid any per-

son or institution they see as phony.

Millennials are cosmopolitan, having grown up among diverse races, ethnicities, and cul-

tures. This tends to make them more non-judgmental and accepting of differences than are their

elders. They have not experienced the same levels of racial and gender discrimination as did pre-

vious generations. In fact, 63 percent don’t believe that race or gender will impact their career

prospects (Klesa, et. al., 2007).

While they are not consistently liberal as a group, they are nontraditional. For example,

only 21 percent of Millennials between the ages of 18 and 28 are married, as compared to 29

percent of Gen Xers, 42 percent of Baby Boomers, and 54 percent of the Silent Generation when

those cohorts were the same age (Diggles, 2014).

A whopping 83 percent of Millennials believe in volunteering and they lead all other

groups in using social media for civic purposes, such as finding volunteer positions and donating

to causes they care about (Hais and Winograd, 2013). They are the inventors and heaviest users

of innovative philanthropy vehicles like crowdfunding sites and online platforms to generate pe-

titions and advocate for causes.

This easy access to information, suspicion of consumerism, and exposure to a wide range

of ideas and cultures has shaped Millennials’ political views and their perception of politics.

Politics of Millennials


Diggles (2014) describes Millennials as pragmatists who practice “a la carte politics.”

They are not loyal to either of the main political parties because they are not satisfied with either/

or choices. As highly conscious consumers who prize transparency, they mistrust “the veracity of

the political process” (Hais and Winograd, 2013).

They are more likely to be independents than any other generation, with 50 percent char-

acterizing themselves as such. (See Table 2 below.) This is as opposed to 27 percent who say

they are Democrats and just 17 percent who say they are Republicans. A plurality—39 percent—

are moderates (Gilman and Stokes, 2014).

Exhibit 2. Millennials and Political Party Identification

Moreover, Millennials’ opinions on any given policy issue range freely between ideologi-

cal poles. For example:

• 7 in 10 believe that immigrants strengthen the country.

• 60 percent support the use of military force in Afghanistan.


• 53 percent approve of bigger government offering more services and believe that government

plays a positive role in people’s lives.

However, they also believe that government should work better than it currently does,

and they see technology as part of the solution. They favor more direct democracy in the form of

online town halls, open school board and city council meetings, and a streamlined voter registra-

tion process (Alexander, 2014).

Interestingly, Millennials’ views on abortion mirror those of their elders. Fifty-four per-

cent believe that abortion should be legal in all 50 states. This compares with 56 percent of older

Americans. Abdul-Alim (2012) believes that advances in medical technology have complicated

Millennials’ attitudes toward abortion. They have not lived through the era of coat hangers and

botched back-alley procedures. Instead, they have unprecedented access to multiple birth control

methods that prevent pregnancy in the first place. Plus, it is common for them to see a friend’s

sonogram posted on Facebook to joyously announce the advent of a wanted child. The memory

of those images likely creates unease at the thought of pregnancy termination.

Jones, et. al. (2012) surveyed 2,000 college-age Millennials about their attitudes on nine

high-profile public issues. Students were asked to rate each issue according to a level of impor-

tance: ‘critical’, ‘one among many’, or ‘not that important.’ Only three issues made the ‘critical

category: education, the federal deficit, and jobs & unemployment. One issue—same-sex mar-

riage—was considered “not that important.’ All others were thought to be ‘one among many.’

As are we all, Millennials have been shaped by what they experienced during their for-

mative years. Consider the major events of their childhoods: natural and man-made disasters

like Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, terrorism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, famine in


Darfur, the Great Recession—all displayed in detail, instantly, on their iPads (Diggles, 2014).

They have seen what happens when governments fail and now they want greater government in-

volvement, but a government that demonstrates efficiency and effectiveness.

Harrison (2011, p. 7) attributes this to the fact that “[Millennials] were shaped by a post-

September 11th

socialization process in their crucial formative years, and had not lived through

the cynicism-producing events of the 1970s – the war in Vietnam, the Pentagon Papers, and Wa-

tergate – that had eroded so much of the confidence Americans had in their government.”

Two scholars, Gierzynski and Seger (2011), contend that it’s not just experiences that

have shaped Millennials’ political values, but what they read as well—specifically, the Harry

Potter books. They argue that stories are powerful influences in shaping a person’s attitudes, par-

ticularly those stories that one reads in early adolescence. Among other attributes, this made Har-

ry Potter fans “more politically tolerant” and “more likely to have voted for Obama in 2008” (p.

6).

P.G. Sittenfeld, the 29-year-old former Cincinnati City Council member and current can-

didate for U.S. Senate from Ohio, sums it up: “Our generation is less ideological. We’re more

interested in measurable outcomes. Technology is a native skill set of our generation, so we go

about things differently, but our political agenda is not all that different” (Kim, 2014).

Exhibit 3. How Millennials Rate Critical Issues


Millennials and the 2016 Election

Millennials’ concern for education, specifically the cost of tuition and resulting college

debt, was reflected in a series of interviews National Public Radio conducted with Millennials

last December. One twenty-something explained his support for Bernie Sanders by saying that

the election was all about economic issues. As an example, he cited the need for prison reform,

not because a more just system is needed but because, “It’s too expansive to imprison non-vio-

lent people.” Better that the government should use that money to help young people pay for col-

lege (Khalid, 2015).

Another young man described his choice—Donald Trump—as a ‘progressive

Republican.’ In this Millennial’s view, the Republican party needs to evolve to become more lib-

eral on issues like sexual orientation and immigration (Khalid, 2015).


Although Millennials put Barak Obama over the top in 2008 and again in 2012, they are

by no means reliable Democratic voters, nor are they reliable voters at all (Bump, 2016). They

vote for candidates, not party platforms, and they have to feel energized in order to come out

strong. Noticeably fewer voted for Obama in 2012 than did in 2008.

In fact, many became disillusioned with Obama, especially over the botched roll-out of

the Affordable Care Act (Frounier, 2013). They have little patience for poor technology and the

website crashes and other problems experienced during initial Obamacare signups were a source

of frustration for them. While 55 percent of Millennials said they voted for Obama in 2012, by

2013 only 46 percent said they would do so again.

The Millennial turnout in this year’s Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary was

down considerably from that of 2008. Some analysts believe that Hillary Clinton won only be-

cause she was supported by older voters, who turned out heavily for her. Younger voters who

preferred Bernie Sanders did not turn out in such large numbers (Bump, 2016).

Generally, older voters tend to vote more consistently than younger ones, especially in

primaries. Older people move less and tend to have stable work hours, so they need not register

or change polling places as often. Also, younger Millennials vote less often overall than did Baby

Boomers when they were the same age 30 years ago. Millennial voter participation as a percent-

age of all voters is on the rise only because of the size of their cohort population.

Nevertheless, some polls show support for Democrats from Millennials in this election

cycle (Holland, 2016). However, there seems also be evidence that much of that support is for

Bernie Sanders, rather than for Hillary Clinton (Hennen, 2016), It remains to be seen whether

Millennials will show up to vote for Clinton if she is the nominee.


In 2008, more young black voters went to the polls than in any previous presidential elec-

tion. They do turn out for a candidate that they care deeply about. Whether they will feel pas-

sionately about the candidates in the 2016 election remains to be seen, but many analysts are

skeptical (Cohen, 2011).

In fact, there are stark differences between the political perceptions of black Millennials

and their white and Hispanic counterparts (Abdul-Alim, 2012). For instance, when asked if

blacks had achieved racial equality, 48 percent of white youth and 39 percent of Latino youth

said they had, but only 15 percent of black youth agreed. (See Exhibits 4 and 5.)

Exhibits 4 and 5. Millennials’ Perceptions of Racial Equality


White youth were less confident that Latinos had achieved racial equality. Just 29 percent of

white and 20 percent of Latino youth agreed with that statement. Black youth remained steadily

skeptical at 16 percent.

Along those same lines, 58 percent of white Millennials surveyed believed that “discrim-

ination against whites has become as big a problem as discrimination against black and other mi-

norities.” As might be expected, only 24 percent of black Millennials and 39 percent of Hispanic

Millennials agreed with that statement (Jones, et. al., 2012).

Conclusions from Secondary Research

It is arguable that the single most important factor that distinguishes the Millennial gen-

eration from others is this cohort’s facility and comfort with technology. Digital communication

has shaped more than the perceptions of Millennials’; it has become the way they experience

their world. This seamless integration of technology into their lives has created a set of expecta-


tions and aversions that color the ways Millennials interact with pre-digital culture and its institu-

tions. They have concluded that institutions must change to accommodate the new ways of shar-

ing information.

What’s fascinating is that most Millennials are aware that technology sets them apart.

They are confident that they can change structures and institutions, particularly those of govern-

ments, to be more effective and responsive to citizens. To that end they are eager to participate in

civic activities and to better understand the responsibilities of citizenship. They are critical of

their colleges and universities not only for the high cost of tuition but for the failure of these in-

stitutions to prepare them to be citizens.

In 2010, a graduating senior at the University of Northern Colorado completed a capstone

project for which she organized a series of three “conversations for change” with students drawn

from the university’s Honors Program. The discussions focused on the topic of community and

citizenship. The student’s resulting paper was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Public

Deliberation and it included this challenge to higher education:

“Every student in the room said that institutions [of higher education] were not

doing enough to prepare them to be citizens—they were running like a business

where the degree was marketed to customers with the hope of turning a profit

as the primary goal” (South, 2010, p. 6).

The call to put civic education back into the academy could not be more clear. Millennials know

it is critical, they know it is absent, and they apparently cannot get it for themselves online.

This public deliberation approach to community problem solving is exemplified by the

Millennial women and men currently holding public office, including Svante Myrick, who be-


came mayor of Ithaca, NY, at 24 (Guo, 2015); Nily Rozic, elected to the New York State legisla-

ture when she was 27 (Lipman, 2014); Jeramy Anderson, who as a senior at Tulane University

became the youngest African-American to be elected to a state legislature (Mississippi) in the

United States (Jacobs, 2013); and many others. These Millennial public servants symbolize hope

—for a reimagining of government and a recalibration of how people of differing views can col-

laborate to accomplish great things.

Executive Summary of Primary Qualitative Research

Sixteen college students between the ages of 18 and 30 responded to a survey via the in-

ternet for this qualitative research project. They were asked five, open-ended questions suggested

by a prior analysis of secondary research on Millennials and politics. The questions focused on

five topics: 1) the current presidential election and political climate in the United States, 2) the

relative effectiveness of various institutions in addressing social problems, 3) their intention of

voting and the importance of doing so, 4) the current dispute between the federal government

and Apple, Inc. regarding creating code to break into a terrorist’s iPhone, and 5) the level of con-

cern about climate change and global warming.

The majority of respondents expressed frustration and disillusion with American politics

and the current climate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Although most said they do plan on

voting, they are doing so without much enthusiasm for the candidates or hope that the winner

will change much in the future. They acknowledge that, in some instances, government can be a

vehicle for social change, but they believe that most of those who currently hold government of-

fice are ineffective and that the overall political climate is polarized to a degree that has made

government dysfunctional.


Almost all of them are following the Apple/federal government dispute, with all but two

expressing varying degrees of support for the government. However, for several students, the

reason for this support is not because they believe the government is right, but because they be-

lieve that the government is already monitoring the communications of its citizens. Thus, for

them the outcome of the dispute is already decided.

All but one respondent expressed grave concerns about climate change and global warm-

ing. They feel that their present leaders are doing very little to avert disastrous climate change.

They see the current response to global warming as too little, too late, and are resentful that their

leaders continue to bicker about the fact of climate change rather than doing anything substantive

about it.

Introduction to Qualitative Research

The secondary research project that comprises part I of this paper consisted of a literature

review on the attitudes of voting-age Millennials toward U.S. politics and current public issues,

as well as their feelings about the 2016 presidential election. Since it is still early in the election

year, most of the information available on Millennials’ attitudes toward this year’s candidates

and issues was found in news stories in respected publications, rather than from scholarly re-

search. However, there is ample academic research done in previous years—predominantly 2010

through 2014— and it suggests several key ideas about the attitudes of Millennials toward poli-

tics, government, and important contemporary issues such as racism, climate change and the

economy.

Of particular interest is the idea gleaned from the literature that Millennials hold a gener-

ally positive outlook on government, believing it is a good vehicle for facilitating change and


addressing social problems. This is in stark contrast, the literature indicates, to the views of many

Baby Boomers and other older Americans, who have lived through the Vietnam and Watergate

era and tend to be more skeptical of government.

Also intriguing is the notion that about half of Millennials reject both of the major politi-

cal parties, preferring to identify as independents, and that they tend to form their political views

based on the individual characteristics of candidates and the relative merits of current public is-

sues as they relate to Millennials’ own lives. Furthermore, there is some evidence, albeit anecdo-

tal from news stories, that Millennials perceive both parties as being more or less identical. They

seem not to accept that each party stands for a different approach to governing, viewing them

both as simply maintaining a dysfunctional status quo.

There is one characteristic of the Millennial generation of which there is little doubt and

that is their appreciation of, and reliance on, digital technology. They are almost always connect-

ed to the internet via mobile devices and wireless networks and they use those connections to

access information, plan their schedules, shop, socialize, and do just about every other activity as

they go about their day. While some researchers have uncovered data on Millennials’ attitudes

toward privacy concerns and other possible hazards of their reliance on the internet, there is very

little in the literature that explores Millennials’ understanding of how online technology relates to

democratic values and civil liberties. Do they perceive digital technology as threatening or en-

hancing the individual rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

It is these three topics—the perception of current public issues and political parties, the

role of government, and the impact of digital technology on civic participation—that this qualita-

tive research project is designed to explore.


Methodology of Qualitative Research

Five open-ended questions were sent via email to 20 college students known to be be-

tween the ages of 18 and 25. Of those, 13 were completed and returned. (See Appendix for the

questionnaire and informed consent notice.) In addition, questions four and five, about Apple’s

confrontation with the federal government and climate change respectively, were posted on

Facebook with a note asking people between the ages of 18 and 30 to respond. Three additional

responses were received in this manner, bringing the total number of respondents to 16. Since

Facebook friends are known and identified, the Millennial status of the social media respondents

was confirmed. As it happens, the three respondents reached on Facebook were also college stu-

dents.

Findings of Qualitative Research

Generally, the conclusions reached through the secondary research were borne out by this

qualitative research. Respondents indicated that they are discouraged by the current political cli-

mate in the U.S., that they have a great deal of concern about climate change and the environ-

ment, and that they see the problem with politics as more about poor leadership than about the

structures of government itself. Even so, this group did not seem to be as positive about govern-

ment as the secondary literature suggests. Interestingly, all respondents except one said they were

aware of the struggle between Apple and the federal government over the iPhone, but the opin-

ions on Apple’s refusal to comply were mixed. Responses to each question are discussed in detail

below.

Question 1: General Attitude Toward Politics


All respondents are disappointed with today’s political climate in the U.S., particularly

the atmosphere of rancor that surrounds the presidential election. One student commented,

“There are two forces in government, both going in opposite directions. There is no good leader-

ship. Just politics.” Another noted that “Obama was a huge hope for America, but after he was

elected we went backwards. Maybe he woke up some forces that didn’t like him and so they

stopped him from making changes.”

One respondent made a connection between money and the winners of political office,

saying, “My general attitude is that this presidential election has been ridiculous in the media and

has turned into a popularity contest, and hopefully we will have a president who will give us a

better future and not just win because they have money.” Another person who said she was “very

politically aware” went on to say, “Basically, I love a good fight, but we need to consider the

people, and how to make their lives better and not focus on what is right and who is right in what

way and why "right" varies from state to state. People need healthcare, and education, and a real

path toward self-sustainability. There's no debating that.”

Question 2: Which Institution Is Better at Addressing Difficult Problems?

Answers to this question varied widely. Of the 13 who answered, four said government

was the best vehicle for addressing problems, with one commenting, “Government is ineffective

now because of the people in it, but it could work better with different people.” Another chose

nonprofit organizations, saying “Nonprofit organizations are very important in the amount of

awareness they raise about these difficult issues and making people stop and think about these

serious problems.”


Some respondents refused to choose just one institution. One said that government could

address national issues like the cost of healthcare but that the high cost of college tuition had to

be addressed by the schools themselves. Several thought that business was best at solving the

unemployment problem. Two mentioned racial discrimination specifically, and each response

was the opposite of the other. One person said, “There is no racial discrimination anymore” and

the other said that “racism will never go away” and that there was no institution that could do

anything about it.

Question 3: Voting in the 2016 Presidential Election and the Importance of Voting

Of the 13 people who answered this question, 10 said they planned to vote for president

in November. One said that he would vote only if Bernie Sanders were the Democratic nominee.

Another person said she plans on voting, but commented, “I wish we had a third party that could

produce a viable candidate. If we've learned anything from this election cycle, it's that people are

sick of candidates who are owned by special interests and the way the two mainstream parties are

content to keep business as usual.” Of the three who don’t plan on voting, one thinks that his

vote “would not make a difference anyway,” one said that she didn’t like any of the candidates,

and one said she had not registered.

The 10 people who plan to vote said various things indicating that they believe voting

shows that they value their right, along with some version of “You can’t complain about who

gets elected if you don’t vote.” The most interesting comment about the reason voting is impor-

tant came from a young man who said, “Yes I do plan on voting. It is very important because it is

my right as a U.S. citizen to vote, and I am a first generation American, so I feel that I owe it to

also express my family’s viewpoints and my own.”


One person wrote about the political process, saying “We should have all open primaries

so that people will come out to vote.” This is interesting because it shows that this person was

aware of the intricate rules involved in choosing candidates to run in the general election.

Question 4: Apple vs. Federal Government

Of the 16 respondents to this question, 15 were aware of the current conflict between

Apple and the federal government, where the government wants Apple to create software that

will break open individual iPhones. Of those 15, the responses of two indicate that they may not

fully understand the situation, as they said some version of “It’s a terrorists’ phone, so it should

be broken into.” Another comment expressed disillusion with the progress of ‘the war on terror’,

saying, “If terrorism activity is involved, go for it. We need the upper hand for a change.” Two

others think that if you have nothing to hide then you shouldn't worry.

Two people were adamantly against allowing government to open the phone. One stated,

“I an against it and feel that it is a complete invasion of privacy.” Another said, “I'm totally aware

and totally against it. If they want to hack into that specific phone then by all means, please do

so. But in my opinion, forcing Apple to create a back door has terrifying consequences.” Still

another was as worried about Apple as about the government, commenting, “Giving the power to

Apple to have the access to log into everyone's phone for me can do harm the same as the FBI

can do.”

The remaining 10 respondents who were aware of the controversy had mixed, more nu-

anced reactions. Several said that Apple should help the government but that there should also

be some limits placed on the government’s ability to access the iPhones of “regular” people. For

example, one stated, “Someone needs to supervise. Every company, everything should be super-


vised by someone else. As well as the FBI should be supervised.” The person did not offer a sug-

gestion as to who the supervisor would be.

Another student indicated that she believes the government is watching everyone any-

how, stating, “I just assume the government has access to my phone anyway and could read my

stuff if they were interested, but they aren't. I think maybe in cases of extreme crime breaking

into a phone is permissible, but only if the program is not copied and it is destroyed by the cre-

ator afterwards.”

A similar comment bears highlighting for it’s rather ominous acceptance of surveillance

in American life: “Growing up, my dad was in the Coast Guard and we really didn't have too

much privacy. For instance, a cop would stroll around the neighborhood every ten minutes or so.

Some would say this is great or even super lucky, but it seemed like we were never left alone in

our homes or neighborhoods and as a kid, I felt less safe, knowing there was someone watching

us.”

Question 5: Concern about Climate Change

Fourteen of the 16 respondents said they are seriously concerned about climate change,

with 10 people assigning a 5 to the issue, the highest rating available. Five respondents rated

their concern as a 4, the second highest rating of concern. Only one person rated the issue less

than a four, writing, “I would say about a three. I do recycle and try to save electricity, but I

would never make it a main priority. I believe we have to make better decisions and choices that

help benefit this world, but I refuse to make it a stressor. I also was never introduced to climate

change until my freshman year of 2014, so this is still pretty brand new to me.”


Exhibit 6. How Concerned Are You About Climate Change? (Rated on scale of 1-5, with 5

high.)

One person wrote, “I am very much concerned. I feel I'm a small player in that game and

I'm not sure how can I really help.” He then asked, “Is it the individual or the corporations that

do most of the damage?”

Some respondents implied that the reality of climate change is obvious. One person

wrote, “I would say 5. Just look outside. The weather has not been normal in years; it snowed

last night but was also 60 degrees last week.”

One person’s reply was a bleak observation on the current US leadership: “I don't need to

see leaders going to some mingling events in Paris to sign contracts. They just follow what the

professionals say, anyway, so just sign it and that's it. They woke up too late in my opinion. They

destroyed our world.”

Another, similar response read: “I rate it a 5. The evidence is overwhelming, it is so irre-

sponsible to do nothing about it. I also don't understand why people are so insistent that climate

change isn't happening. It isn't a personal attack on any one person. We, as a planet, messed up.

Now we have to fix it. We're perfectly willing to step in and fix the banking industry, a system

N = 16 Rating 1 Rating 2 Rating 3 Rating 4 Rating 5

10 X

5 X

1 X


which has legitimately ruined countless lives due to selfishness and ego, but we won't fix the

planet, the whole thing that supports our livelihood in the most basic way. That's just stupid.

There will be no political debates, or banks, or Apple privacy issues if we keep ignoring the

planet.”

Conclusions from Qualitative Research

Overall, the comments made in this small, qualitative survey are mostly in agreement

with the impressions gleaned from the analysis of the secondary research. However, the findings

in much of the secondary research are generally more rosy than what the direct comments of

these respondents indicate. Perhaps that is because much of the material analyzed in the sec-

ondary research was originally written between 2010 and 2014, and the years in between have

fostered more disillusionment among voting-age Millennials. Certainly the animosity between

the two major political parties and the negativity of the current electioneering has generated a

dispirited sense of futility among many of the students who completed this survey.

One quite pronounced difference between the two lies in the question of Millennials’ be-

lief in the power of government to change things for the better. While a few respondents indicat-

ed such a belief, most had mixed feelings. Some expressed open disillusionment with govern-

ment, albeit mostly because of the people currently in office. It may be that the majority of re-

spondents are not able to separate the office from the person holding it. Because so much harsh

criticism is directed at elected representatives repeatedly by the news media—notably cable tele-

vision news— it is not surprising that perceptions of government officials are not high. These

negative views may quite naturally be generalized toward all government personnel and even to


government itself. In addition, the exhortations of the Republican party, in its advocacy of small

government, may have undermined Millennials’ confidence in government itself.

In any case, all of the respondents in this survey were students, who presumably have

studying and other issues to think about, all of which may cut into the time they have to follow

current politics. Millennials’ overall impression of politics is as a continuing tug-of-war between

the two parties, with no ending in sight. This perception may serve to discourage them from get-

ting too invested in the process or its outcomes.


Appendix

Questionnaire

Dear Participant:

This study is intended to examine the political views of representatives of the Millennial Generation. Aggregate results of the study will be written up in a report and shared on the inter-net. Please note that no names will be attached to the opinions expressed by participants.

Completion of the survey is voluntary. If you complete the survey and submit it to the researcher, that action will constitute your consent.

If you agree to participate, kindly answer the questions contained in the questionnaire be-low. There are no right or wrong answers, so please respond with your authentic feelings and opinions. The questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete.

Any information resulting from this research will be kept strictly confidential and all par-ticipants will remain anonymous. Answers will be combined and reported only in the aggregate. Individual participants will not be identified in any way in the completed study.

A report of the project findings can be received by contacting the researcher, Bonnie McEwan, at <[email protected]>. Thank you for taking the time to help me better under-stand the ways that Millennials think and feel about politics and the political process in the US.

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. What is your general attitude toward politics and the political climate in the U.S. today? Please explain your reasons for feeling the way you do.

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mailto:[email protected]


2. Which institution is better at addressing difficult problems like unemployment, racial dis-crimination, and the high cost of things like college or healthcare—government, business, nonprofit organizations or something else? Please explain your choice.

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3. Do you plan on voting in the U.S. presidential election this November? How important is it to you to exercise your right to vote?

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4. Are you aware of the current attempt by the federal government to force Apple to create a program to break into an individual iPhone? If so, what is your opinion on this issue?

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5. On a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 is high, how concerned are you about global warming and climate change? Please explain why you chose the rating you did.

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Thank you for completing this survey!


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millennials and politics

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