Are Millennials Far Left on Economics? No.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Reason:

In response to Robert Draper’s New York Times Magazine piece on the potential for a libertarian moment, there has been much debate over where exactly young people stand on economic issues. Critics relying largely on one or two data points have tended to prematurely declare young people staunch economic liberals (e.g. here, here, here, and here). However, millennial attitudes are just not that simple; in particular they are not economic leftists as some have claimed.

 

Instead, Reason-Rupe's latest study of the millennial cohort shows they are socially liberal, are averse to many nanny state regulations, and are fiscal centrists.

 

As I wrote in our July report:

 

"Findings from the Reason-Rupe 2014 Millennial Survey of young Americans 18-29 reveal this cohort flouts traditional political allegiances: They trust neither political party, are social liberals and fiscal centrists, and are supportive of both business and government. They favor free markets, but aren’t sure whether markets or government best drive income mobility. In all, millennials are neither a Democratic nor a Republican generation; they remain politically unclaimed."

 

What makes this generation particularly notable is that they don’t conform to conventional political stereotypes. In particular, their increased social liberalism has not gone in lockstep with economic liberalism.

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Now, if they could be convinced to show that at election time...