The youngest generation forms a large group, rivaling the Baby Boomers in sheer numbers. According to the Census, in 2007, living Millennials outnumbered living Baby Boomers: 77.6 million to 74.1 million.7 They have a distinctive political and civic character that will be important for America's future. Adolescence and early adulthood are formative years that permanently shape the character of generations.

In some ways, the Millennials are impressively involved in civic affairs. For example, volunteering rates rose substantially for young Americans over the last generation and remain at historically high levels. Today's young people are more likely to belong to clubs or to serve as club officers than Generation-Xers are today.8 Youth voter turnout is low, but it rose significantly in both 2004 and 2006, as the first Millennials reached voting age. Overall, most of the decline in our civic health over the past twenty years can be attributed to older generations (Boomers and Matures). Young people have always been less civically engaged than their elders, although this age gap narrowed between 1975 and 1990s and 2000s.


Trust
One of the most pronounced differences among the generations involves trust. Today's young people are by far the least likely to trust others, regardless of how the question is phrased. This distrust may prove an obstacle to fostering greater civic engagement and participation.

Trust in government presents a different picture. Overall, Americans deeply distrust the government today, especially at the federal level. However, young people express the least distrust for government. They are least likely to say that it wastes money, is run by special interests, or is full of crooks. On the other hand, they are also the least likely to think that their own vote counts or that people like themselves have a say. In short, they feel relatively little power but also relatively little anger about the performance of the government. Finally, they have the least trust for the news media, with three quarters saying that it cannot be trusted to present the news fairly.


Political Views
Generally, young people hold more critical or adversarial political opinions than their elders. They are less likely to agree that it is important always to follow the rules, and less likely to say that people basically receive fair treatment in America regardless of who they are.

When asked how best to address issues in their community, young people are the least enthusiastic about voting but are more favorable toward citizen-centered politics than Gen Xers or Matures. This pattern is consistent with the low voting rates but high volunteering rates of young people

Millennials are the most open to learning through discussion. For those who were involved in a meeting to determine ideas for problems in their community, 45 percent of the Millennials said that the discussion changed their minds. This compares to only 20 percent of Matures who recalled changing their minds as a result of discussion. Openness to learning is greater the younger one is.

More than any other group, the Millennials lack—but want—venues for citizen-centered politics. This is important evidence in favor of providing high school students, college students, and young adults with more opportunities for discussion and civic action.