1. Millennials Depend On Liberal Internet Articles For Their News
Gone are the days of reliance on print forms of news. Millennials, much more than their parents, rely on the Internet for their news information. Millennials check news media websites, Twitter, Facebook, and other Internet sites for their news, and these sources tend to allow for a more open flow of information and fact-checking than “older” sources of news, such as newspapers, TV news shows and news magazines. The Internet gives Millennials the chance to vocalize their opinions, and the “loudest” of these opinionated people tend to be more liberal, which sways the politics of any news conversation.?This also means that today’s youth can quickly debunk their grandparent’s endless stream of email forwards about how Obama is deliberately?trying to destroy America.
2.?Millennials Are Struggling With Poverty
Getting a college degree and/or specializing in a technical skill out of high school used to guarantee getting a job for the parents of Millennials. Furthermore, once these folks got their jobs, they felt safe and secure in them. With the recession of 2008 and a lagging economy, Millennials are having a much more difficult time than their parents securing and holding down a steady job, even with the same, if not better credentials on their resumes. Because of this, Millennials can no longer support a family on one income the way their parents were able to. Not only that, but one in five Millennials struggle to support themselves alone. The Democratic Party tends to favor bigger government that provides more resources to people in need. Many Millennials are forced to take advantage of these services, such as food stamps, unemployment compensation and other forms of government support, because they don’t have access to the same healthy job market that their parents did.
3.?Millennials Are More Socially Liberal
Millennials favor the Democratic Party on social issues, such as gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. This is so, in part, because of a trend toward “finding ones true self.” Many issues that were socially stigmatized in the past are now considered more commonplace and acceptable. Therefore, those Milliannials who have “true selves” that differ from established norms (i.e., identifying as a female when one was born male) feel more comfortable acting in those roles.
4.?Millennials Are Less Religious Than Their Parents
Republicans and conservatives tend to have more religious leanings than their Democratic Party counterparts. This is especially true of Evangelicals. For example, abortion advocates tend to vote Democrat, while those opposed to abortion tend to vote Republican, on religious and moral grounds. Millennials are substantially less religious than their parents’ generation. Many Millennials have either lost faith or were raised with less religious traditions than their parents?and?therefore tend to side more with the liberal ideal of religious tolerance.
5.?More Millennials Attend College
American colleges and universities tend to be “hot spots” for liberal conversation. Millennials, in great numbers, are attending college directly after they graduate from high school. When these Millennials are in this liberal environment, it tends to sway their viewpoints toward the Democratic Party.
6.?More Millennials Have Student Loan Debt
As discussed, most?Millennials are either currently enrolled in college or have recently graduated, and these individuals are also having a much more difficult time finding jobs than their parents. For the Millennials who took out student loans, this means that they have quite a bit of student debt that they are unable to pay back. The Democratic Party has put forth a number of bills trying to relieve student loan debt and also make going to college more affordable. Therefore, many Millennials see it in their best interests to vote Democrat in order to help relieve some of their student debt burden.
7.?Millennials Are Less Nationalistic
To many, the Republican Party is seen as the more “patriotic” party, advocating such issues as the right to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” in schools and fighting for increased military presence?abroad and at home. In part because of a more global economy connected by technology and the Internet, and in part because they are traveling more than their parents, Millennials connect less with the United States of America and more as a “citizen of the world.” Therefore, they are more likely to view the United States as a significant player in the world’s affairs and global issues, rather than the most important part.
8.?More Millennials Are Immigrants
The population of the United States is much more diverse for Millennials than it was when the Millennials’ parents were growing up. Many Millennials were not born in the United States and/or are children of immigrants. The Democratic Party heavily advocates rights for immigrants, while Republicans are struggling mightily to bring them back into the fold. Therefore, Millennials tend to side more with the Democratic Party on these issues.
9.?Millennials Are Younger Than Their Parents
It is an often believed?that people tend to become more conservative as they age. However, this is an idea that has been thoroughly?debunked. In fact, many seniors report to becoming more open-minded to more ideas as they age. Even so,?Millennials are, naturally, younger than their parents’ generation and, therefore, have been exposed to more liberal social trends at a much younger age. This awareness of,?and exposure to, socially liberal ideas and lifestyles?is a significant factor in Millennial liberalism.
10.?Millennials Feel Vulnerable
Because of the reasons discussed above regarding the recessions and lagging economy, Millennials, more than their parents’ generation, feel vulnerable. They view the Democratic Party as advocates for bigger government and regulators of special interests and economic pressures that lead to instability.?When Millennials look at the world around them they see public health issues that can be fixed through things link sexual education or healthier school lunches. They see extreme volatility and corruption in the financial sector that could be stabilized through regulation. They see social injustices that can be fixed through better education, awareness, and acceptance. Most of all, they see the need to adapt to the times with a progressive mindset and attitude.
