ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society

by David Madland, Director of the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress and co-author of “The Progressive Generation: How Young Adults Think About the Economy”

According to the results of a first-of-a-kind analysis about Millennials’ views on the economy, a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds (our definition of this generation) believe that labor unions and the government can be a force for good in the economy, and that increased investments in healthcare, education, and other areas are necessary to ensure strong and sustainable economic growth. Millennials’ views are more progressive on economic issues than those of other age groups today, and are more progressive than previous generations when they were younger.

For example, Millennials are more likely to support universal health coverage than any age group in the thirty previous years the question has been asked. In addition, they had the second most favorable view of labor unions in the over forty-year history of the question.

The likely cause of these progressive views is that young adults today face more significant economic challenges than have other recent generations, among them lower rates of healthcare coverage, worsening job prospects, and higher levels of student loan debt—all legacies of the conservative policies that have dominated in recent years.

Because Millenials are the largest generation, even bigger than the baby boomers, and quite politically active, these progressive views could very well lead to significant policy changes.