Millennials Less Religious, More Liberal than Their Elders

A study by the Pew Research Center found that those people who were born between 1981 and 1995, known as the “millennial generation,” were less religious than their elders, less willing to view themselves as patriotic, and more willing to identify themselves as liberal. The study avers that the millennials call themselves political independents to a greater degree than their elders, but in truth, are more likely to voter Democratic.

The millennials more heavily favor a more involved government in their lives and gay rights. Just shy of one-third of millennials say they are liberals while about one-quarter say they are conservatives. 57% of the millennials say they have gotten even more liberal as the years have flown by. Almost 70% favor same-sex marriage, more than 50% support gay rights, and they are more likely to favor legalizing marijuana than their elders.

Baby boomers reverse the trend, with 41% calling themselves conservative and 21% liberal, and the majority saying they have grown more conservative with time.