The Millennials and the Future of Libertarianism

by Gerard Emershaw

The long-term future of any contemporary American political movement is largely dependent upon the attitudes of the Millennial generation, whose members are currently 18–33 years old. Libertarian ideas have had a resurgence in recent years thanks to politicians such as Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and Justin Amash, television pundits such as John Stossel, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and Kennedy, and fictional pop culture icons such as Ron Swanson, Stan Marsh, and Kyle Broflovski. Oh, and also because libertarian ideas happen to be correct. The question is whether the burgeoning libertarian movement is going to be killed in the cradle as a result of Millennials having no interest in it. Is libertarianism a dinosaur or a dodo bird?

The results of a Pew Research study released in early March of 2014 provide interesting data which can be analyzed to give a picture of what kind of future libertarianism may have in the United States. Compared with earlier generations, Millennials are less likely to be affiliated with a particular religion or political party. Nearly 30% of Millennials are not affiliated with a particular religious group and half consider themselves political independents. Given the stranglehold that the two headed collectivist welfare/warfare party known as the Democrats and the Republicans has over politics on the national level in the United States, more independents mean potentially a greater likelihood of having libertarian ideas embraced on a wider scale.

Another encouraging sign is that Millennials are far less likely to trust others than are members of earlier generations. Only 19% of Millennials say that, generally speaking, most people can be trusted compared with 31% of the typically cynical Generation X, 37% of the Silent Generation, and 40% of Baby Boomers. One would think that this would mean that Millennials would be less likely to trust the government. Although it may not always seem like it, the government is made up of people. Hold that thought.

Millennials are also less likely than earlier generations to see any real difference between the two major political parties. 26% of Millennials see “hardly any” difference. This is another positive sign for the future prospects of libertarianism. If one in four see little difference, then that means that potentially that one in four can be swayed to a new party or a new wing of an existing party.

Unfortunately, Millennials seem to approve of President Obama. 60% of Millennials voted for him in 2012. 47% of older Millennials (born 1981–88) and 50% of younger Millennials (born 1989–98) approve of the job that the President is doing. However, these numbers are not incredibly high even when compared with the President’s current Gallup approval rating of 42%.

Millennials are more likely to support gay rights (51%), less likely to be religious (36%), and less likely to identify themselves as environmentalists (32%). These are all positive signs from the libertarian perspective. Unfortunately, fewer than half of Millennials (49%) identify themselves as patriotic. Not a good sign unless the Jingoistic nationalism that still often carries over from the Bush days has made them rightfully jaded.

The most interesting result is that the potential for libertarianism among Millennials breaks down according to race. Only 34% of white Millennials approve of the job that President Obama is doing compared with 67% of non-white Millennials. Even more interesting is the view of Millennials on the libertarian litmus test of government size. Only 39% of white Millennials would like a bigger government which provides more services compared with 52% who would prefer a smaller government which provides fewer services. This is consistent with the overall Millennial mistrust of others. If you cannot trust John Doe or Jane Doe, then why would you suddenly trust these two when they get government jobs and suddenly wield potentially despotic power over you? However, 71% of non-white Millennials would like a bigger government which provides more services compared with only 21% who would prefer a smaller government which provides fewer services. Given that the Millennial generation has a larger percentage of non-whites and that future generations will include even larger numbers of non-whites, this should be troubling for libertarians. In an earlier post, I puzzled over why there are so few black libertarians. The same question is no less puzzling when it comes to Hispanics or Asians in the United States. How has government been a friend to these ethnic communities? On immigration, the federal government has not been kind to Hispanics, allowing illegal aliens to be exploited by leaving them in a legal no man’s land. The federal government has surely never been kind to Asian-Americans. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is all that one needs to consider to come to that conclusion.

Therefore, in conclusion, it seems as if white Millennials are excellent candidates to embrace libertarian ideas. Libertarians must, however, reach out to non-white Millennials (and all non-white Americans in general). Freedom would benefit non-whites as much if not more than it would benefit whites in this country. Therefore, it is essential that those who espouse libertarian ideas—such as Senator Rand Paul when he spoke at Howard University—engage non-white Americans and expose them to libertarian ideas rather than acting like libertarian versions of Patrick Buchanan.