Millennials, adults about 22-37 years old, are now the largest generation nationally and account for approximately a third of Arizona adults. However, millennials are still coming into their own as voters and leaders.
A recent study by CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, presents a political typology of millennials that sheds new light on the generation’s perspectives and may help today’s leaders and institutions understand more about their diversity, outlooks, and motivations.
Developed through surveys, the typology categorizes millennials into five groups.
“The two egalitarian groups are concerned about social, political, and economic inequality, and they tend to support government action to combat it. The two libertarian groups are concerned about individual freedom and are more skeptical of government,” write the report authors. “Neither group is limited to ideological purists, who are rare. These labels describe general leanings toward either duality or liberty.”
New data for Arizona show that millennials are not having as large an impact as their number would suggest. For example, millennials account for 25 percent of Arizona’s registered voters but just 19.5 percent of those casting ballots in 2016, according to an analysis by Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University.
Each generation shapes prosperity and quality of life through its attitudes and choices. Millennials will do the same, even if the “what” and “how” are not yet clear.
In Living Color Civic Participation Conference Targets Millennials
Millennials are the target audience for the State of Black Arizona’s In Living Color Civic Participation Conference on October 6 at GateWay Community College in Phoenix. The conference, held in association with the Young African-American Caucus, is designed “to facilitate an exchange of data and activities addressing the impact of increased voter participation by millennials for millennials.”