The Latest Generation

On February 18, 2009, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a discussion with the authors of two newly-commissioned papers on the civic values and political habits of the Millennial generation (Americans born after 1982).  Neil Howe and Reena Nadler discussed “Yes We Can: The Emergence of Millennials as a Political Generation,” and Peter Levine presented findings from “The Millennial Pendulum: A New Generation of Voters and the Prospects for a Political Realignment.”  Respondents Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research at the Pew Research Center, and Hans Riemer, former National Youth Vote Director for Obama for America, offered analytical assessments and personal insights on the papers’ findings.  Frank Micciche, Managing Director of the Next Social Contract Initiative, provided introductions and moderated the question-and-answer session that followed.
 
Neil Howe, President of LifeCourse Associates and author of several books on American political generations, opened the conference by considering the question, “What is a political generation?”  Howe offered a tour through recent generations, highlighting in particular their variable levels of trust in politics and national institutions.  He concluded that Millennials are filling Generation X’s vacuum of political non-participation, and identified eight general characteristics of the rising generation.

Reena Nadler, co-author of “Yes We Can” and Program Director at LifeCourse Associates, followed with a discussion of who Millennials are in explicitly political terms.  She noted that their views on a variety of issues–including strengthening the community, supporting the family, making capitalism work better, and planning ahead for the long term–do not fit neatly into traditional liberal-conservative categories.  Although a substantial majority of Millennials currently identify with the Democratic Party, their political values cut across ideological boundaries in significant and unforeseen ways.

Peter Levine, Director of Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), noted an expanding partisan gap between young and old voters in the two most recent presidential elections.  Although he acknowledged that historical and age effects influence voting trends, Levine contended that each generation has a unique profile.  Moreover, a generation’s starting place matters-and Millennials are starting out further to the left than any generation in recent memory.  Levine identified Millennials’ left-leaning views on a number of specific issues, and reminded the audience that there are great differences among Millennials (particularly in the area of educational attainment) and so a blanket assessment of the generation’s traits can be difficult.

Scott Keeter argued that Millennials’ liberal leanings could be demonstrated in many ways, but noted some exceptions to that trend: their views on Social Security and abortion, in particular.  He claimed that Millennials’ emerging generational profile was driven by demographic changes and a rise in self-identified secularism.  Keeter noted Millennials’ civic engagement in particular, and identified several topics for further research: low levels of interpersonal trust, the effects of technology, and the popularity among younger voters of policy solutions informed by behavioral economics. 

Finally, Hans Riemer connected the preceding theories on Millennials to his experience directing Obama’s youth voter outreach in the Iowa Caucuses.  He noted that, well in advance of official efforts, high school and college students had built a national network using Facebook and other social networking tools.  In his view, the Internet has both accelerated information dissemination and eased self-organization.  The more lopsided Millennials’ party identification remains, Riemer concluded, the greater political influence they will have in the future, as they become the decisive cohort in national elections.

Frank Micciche moderated the question-and-answer session that followed, which touched upon Millennials’ taste for populism, their potential for disillusionment, the possibility of true decorum and bipartisanship in national politics, and the effects of varying levels of educational attainment on civic and political behaviors. 

Participants

Featured Speakers
Neil Howe
Co-Author, "’Yes We Can’: The Emergence of Millennials as a Political Generation"
President, LifeCourse Associates
Senior Associate, CSIS

Reena Nadler
Co-Author, "’Yes We Can’: The Emergence of Millennials as a Political Generation"
Program Director, LifeCourse Associates

Peter Levine
Co-Author, "The Millennial Pendulum: A New Generation of Voters and the Prospects for a Political Realignment"
Director, CIRCLE, Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University

Respondents
Scott Keeter
Director of Survey Research, Pew Research Center

Hans Riemer
Former National Youth Vote Director, Obama for America
Former Political and Issues Director, Rock the Vote

Moderator
Frank Micciche
Managing Director, Next Social Contract Initiative
New America Foundation