It is hard to pin down exactly when the millennial generation begins and ends, and depending on who you talk to, the years change. Generally, someone is considered a millennial if they were born between 1982 and 2000. These are the children of the baby boomers and they are far more diverse than any previous generation. According to a 2015 Census Bureau report, 44.2% of millennials are part of a minority race or ethnic group, and they now outnumber the baby boomer generation. Millennials now number 83.1 million, while the baby boomer generation make up 75.4 million people in America.
As the largest generation in America, it goes without saying that millennials have a lot of power. Power than could go towards making real change in this country, if only millennials would take advantage of their size. Millennials are opinionated, less religious, and more liberal than their baby boomer counterparts. They are open to change and are quickly becoming the most educated generation in American history. In 2009, 29% of voting millennials considered themselves to be liberal, which is far more than any generation before them.
I posted a survey on social media recently asking millennial voters which political party they identified with. I received 67 responses from people all over the country and perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority identified as Democrats.
I was curious to know what most millennials consider to be the most important issue in America, as well politics, today. An overwhelming majority concluded that social issues need to be addressed immediately, followed closely by healthcare, economics, education, and environmental issues.
With social issues such as institutional racism, sexism, and LGBT discrimination plaguing our society, it comes as no surprise that many millennials find this to be the most pressing issue in America today. Despite millennials’ involvement in attempting to fix these issues, one huge problem continues to arise: millennials refuse to vote. Every election there is an embarrassingly low turnout at the polls by millennials. According to election results from 2014, the millennial turnout was 21.3%, which was pretty much on par with previous years. Millennials are undoubtedly involved and they are aware of social issues, but there will never be a dramatic change in our political system until more young people go to the polls. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is calling for a political revolution: an almost complete upheaval of what we know and expect from politics today. He has the followers to do it, if only they would vote. Because of low voter turnout for millennials – Sander’s biggest supporters – he is expected to lose the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton. In the same survey, I asked millennials who they were voting for in the primaries. As I expected, the number of Sanders supporters far outnumbered the rest.
Millennials could change the face of politics forever if they would just get involved. They are an incredibly powerful generation and a force to be reckoned with. Recently, I sat down and spoke with two millennial voters to find out why they consider voting to be more than just a civic duty. Reed Wilson, 21, and Tim Waddell, 21, both shared similar opinions about how voting for the right candidate can change our entire future. Below I will embed the sound clip, which I paired with photos taken at the Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump rallies held in Pittsburgh this election season.
Photo Credit: Mia Rupani, Brandon Gilmore, Jennifer Arfsten, Blaze Oxier, & the Associated Press