Poll: Millennials Would Throw All Incumbent Politicians Out of Office

Millennials disapprove
of both major parties and reject politics as the solution to
America’s problems. That is the finding of a
new poll conducted by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard
University.

The national survey of Americans aged 18–29 found that
millennials blame Republicns and Democrats alike for the current
state of American politics, with 53 percent saying they would
recall and replace all members of Congress.

This hostility toward sitting politicians can be explained by
who millennials think these politicians represent. When asked about
their own member of Congress, only 10 percent said they thought
their congressmen mostly represented their constituents. In
contrast, 33 percent thought they mostly represented themselves, 27
percent thought they mostly represented campaign donors, and 25
percent thought they mostly represented their political party.

This reinforces what the
Reason-Rupe poll found earlier this year—that millennial voters
are more independent than previous generations and less attracted
to the partisan politics that is epitomized by Washinton, D.C.

The hostility toward Washington-style partisanship is further
highlighted by the IOP poll’s finding that only 39 percent of
respondents would be “likely” (with 57 percent being “unlikely”) to
agree to attend a political rally or demonstration, even if they
agreed with the issue and had free time. This number fell even more
to 33 percent when asked whether they would be “likely” to
volunteer for a political campaign.

This political apathy should not be seen as a negative. A less
political America is a less divided America, and millennials are by
no means disengaged with their communities. When asked if they
would agree to volunteer for community service (assuming they
thought it was a worthy cause), nearly seven in ten said they would
be “likely” to do so.

This suggests that millennials see an alternative to futile
attempts to impose rigid political solutions that will inevitably
be compromised by the horse-trading and rent seeking that is
endemic in Washington, D.C. Instead, they would prefer to tackle
America’s problems at a more local level and in a more hands on
way. This is surely an encouraging sign for libertarians.

Read more of
Reason’s coverage of on Millennials