Millennials coveted as potential voters

Millennials — those of us born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 22-37) ­— now make up the largest generation in America.

This dominant demographic group is therefore coveted both as consumers and as potential voters.

Today’s golden-agers who lived through the Great Depression might have trouble with a segment of the millennials for their lifestyle and work ethic. Two years ago, a study found that millennials were skipping breakfast cereal because it was too much of an inconvenience.

Forty percent of millennials surveyed said they favored something else, like a smoothie or breakfast bar, simply because they considered cleaning up afterward to be a hassle.

Another reason was because many of them didn’t want to start their day consuming processed grains. Cereal producers were the big losers, even though some were offering healthier alternatives.

A report, entitled “The Changing Economics and Demographics of Young Adulthood: 1975-2016,” showed that more young people live in their parents’ home than in any other living arrangement. One in three young adults — about 24 million — lived in their parents’ homes in 2015, with the highest percentage occurring in three northeastern states of New Jersey, Connecticut and New York.

Some statistical data is much more ominous. Earlier this month, millennials were asked who they would rather date — an MS-13 gang member or someone who supports President Donald Trump.

A majority said they would rather date a member of the brutal gang. Considering that the MS-13 motto is to “kill, rape, control,” it’s another indication of how much American values and morality have tumbled in our society.

Another astonishing report by the Washington, D.C.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation found that one out of every two millennials surveyed said they would rather live in a socialist or communist country than in a capitalist democracy like the U.S. The percentage of millennials who prefer socialism over capitalism is a full 10 points higher than that of the general population.

Almost a quarter of them had a favorable view of Karl Marx and even saw Josef Stalin as a “hero.”

But this survey also found that millennials are the least knowledgeable generation on the subject, with 71 percent failing to identify the proper definition of communism.

Fifty-three percent of millennials felt that America’s economic system was working against them. Sixty-six percent of Gen Z, (ages 16-20), meanwhile, say the system works for them.

The fact that half the millennials polled favor socialism over capitalism was reflected in the 2016 election. Bernie Sanders, the proclaimed champion of income inequality, dominated the youth vote.

In 2013, 41 percent of young families had student debt, compared to 17 percent in 1989. Consequently, Sanders’ proposal to make college tuition free and debt free scored big with the under-30 crowd.

Not all the news is bad for Republicans and right wing conservatives. Although a Republican hasn’t won the youth vote since 1988, a recent Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll showed enthusiasm waning for the Democratic Party among millennials.

The recent online survey of more than 16,000 registered voters showed that support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years. More of them also believed the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.

A robust economy does not bode well for the Democratic Party, which will be banking on millennials as a core constituency in the midterm elections. A study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that most millennials believe that education and economic security are key for becoming an adult but fewer than half are achieving those goals.

As long as the economy continues to steam ahead and millennials are seeing tangible results under the Trump economic model, Democrats will have trouble gaining seats in the midterms.

That’s especially true if they hitch their wagons to the Democratic socialist camp on the far left.

By JIM ZBICK| tneditor@tnonline.com