ABSTRACT
On a range of public policy issues, the generational divide is stark and consistently points in the same direction, with younger generations advocating more liberal positions on policy than older generations. On economic issues, there is significant disparity between the generations, with the younger generations defined by their support for bigger government and relative liberalness. Younger Americans are also consistently to the left of older Americans on social issues, on some issues by huge margins. Social issues are critical in understanding why younger Americans have become comparably more Democratic. Millennials have reacted negatively to the rightward shift on social issues of the Republican Party over the past three decades, and younger Americans today say that Democrats, rather than Republicans, come closer to sharing their moral values. Finally, there are also stark generational differences about foreign policy. Younger generations are much less likely to think of problems as being bound by borders and hold more liberal values when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. They are more likely than older people to favor multilateralism over unilateralism and the use of diplomacy to ensure peace, rather than a reliance on military strength.
