Millennials are leading the way toward political independence as Americans desert the major parties, but are more likely to have polarizing views, according to a San Diego State University study released Wednesday.
Psychology professor Jean Twenge found that while 46 percent of adult Americans identified as political independents in 2014, 59 percent of millennials aged 18-29 were registered as independent. Both of those numbers are all-time highs.
“Americans, especially young people, are abandoning the two major political parties to declare themselves politically independent,” Twenge said. “In an increasingly individualistic culture, large groups such as political parties are less popular.”
She said political views have become more polarized in recent years, with twice as many adults in this decade describing themselves as either extremely liberal or conservative than adults in the early 1970s.
Her findings were based on data from three national surveys of high school seniors, entering college students and adults in the U.S. administered since the 1970s. The surveys included responses to a variety of political questions from 10 million participants.
The study, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, also found an uptick in conservatism among young people.
High school seniors in this decade are 38 percent more likely to identify as conservatives than their age-matched peers in the 1970s. Twenge said the same young people disagree with many traditionally conservative viewpoints, indicating a potential overhaul of the definition of conservatism.
“Given young people’s support for same-sex marriage and legalizing marijuana, it’s surprising that more now identify as political conservatives,” Twenge said. “It may be that the definition of what they consider conservative is changing.”
The professor said millennials may not be as reliably liberal and Democrat as many had predicted, especially as they are likely to grow more conservative as they get older.
–City News Service
