As a millennial – a label I actually loathe – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “you don’t care about politics” or “the future of this country is in trouble” from my elders. I’m a millennial on the older end of the spectrum and I find this offensive. I care about politics, and my friends care about politics, but maybe not the same politics as my parents or even grandparents.
According to a Pew Research study, 50 percent of millennials identify as independent. This number is up from 38 percent in 2004. In my experience, m
According to the 2016 Millennial Impact Report, 90 percent of millennials value service work and feel that their contributions to a cause will have a greater impact on the betterment of society than laws passed by Congress. In recent years, Congress has passed laws protecting the rights and enhancing benefits for the LGBTQ community, including legislation recognizing gay marriage on a national scale and requiring that healthcare companies write equal policies for same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Millennials feel strongly about social issues, specifically racial and gender issues. We have watched society begin to more openly accept the transgendered population and interracial relationships. However, the majority of millennials feel that new laws protecting and enhancing the rights of the LGBTQ community are being passed at snail speed.
But there have also been state laws passed that hinder such progress. Texas attempted to restrict abortion by requiring procedures be performed in a licensed surgical center. According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbot, the law was “meant to limit abortions.” In Arizona, a law was passed that basically permits the racial profiling of immigrants. These are just a few examples of the exact change millennials feel hinders our nation’s progress and social progress specifically. According to Travis Irvine, a contributor for Huffington Post, millennials are much more accepting of these social issues than our parents and previous generations and tend to be less judgmental. Since millennials tend to identify more closely on the liberal scale than the conservative scale, the GOP has a lot to learn to keep up with our progressive, non-judgmental thinking.
The economy has been another hot topic throughout this election coverage. Millennials care about the economy, since most of our parents were affected in some way or another by the 2008 recession. Some millennials may be too young to remember, but I remember it well. 2008 was the year I began job hunting in the “real world,” but there were no jobs. No one was hiring and everyone was downsizing. I’ve spoken with Baby Boomers about their careers after college and there are differences between their goals and the goals of millennials. Some Baby Boomers chose to marry right after college, start a family and let the husbands work while the wives stayed home and raised the children. Conversely, millennials are choosing to further their education through master’s and doctorate programs, securing a job and getting married later. It seems to me that millennials are getting a later start in their careers than those Baby Boomers.
The older generations are confused. It’s not that we don’t care about politics or that our lack of concern is troublesome for the future of our country, it’s that our concerns are different. An increasing number of millennials feel that laws and policy need to catch up to the times – our times. The government can and should continue to strive for change and acceptance of new social, economic and political issues.
