Florida’s Millennial generation:
The huge cohort of young people ages 18–29 present both a major challenge and opportunity for policymakers and how civic culture takes shape in the Sunshine State over the next few decades.

Known as the Baby Boomlet because they actually outnumber the members of the Baby Boom generation, these teens and twenty-somethings are coming of age at an important time for Florida and the nation. Soon to be the third largest state in the country, Florida is at the leading edge of many of the major demographic shifts of the 21st Century. The Florida Millennials are part of an emerging “majority-minority” state at the forefront of an ethnically and racially diverse, multi-hued America in which voices traditionally marginalized should have participation in governance.

The extent to which these young men and women organize, volunteer, vote and petition their representatives ultimately will determine how well Florida is governed. Thus, it is vital to understand how engaged younger Floridians are now in terms of political action, their connection to family, friends and neighbors, their participation in group activity and their attentiveness to volunteering and problem-solving in their neighborhoods and communities.

The insights they bring to this new age will be vital for a fully representative democracy. Florida is a microcosm of the nation, and this is reflected for both good and ill in the current state of civic engagement among its younger citizens. But being in the mainstream is a mixed blessing when the mainstream itself is wanting: the nation’s youth are simply not that engaged with its civic culture. Indeed, while the civic engagement levels of Millennials in Florida were close to the national average for Millennials, they still were nonetheless below average. Specifically, on seven of nine civic engagement indicators, Florida Millennials ranked below the national average, and on two they were at the national average. Being just below, or at, the national average are hardly results to celebrate, and there is clearly room for improving the civic engagement levels of Millennials.

Consider these key findings:
• Civic engagement levels of Millennials in Florida are between 7 and 20 percentage points below that of Millennials in the most engaged states in the nation.

• Millennials in Florida are less engaged by a measure of 2 to 23 percentage points than those aged 30 and over in Florida (who themselves are generally less engaged than the nation).

• Less than half of the Millennial generation in Florida was registered to vote in 2010, and of those who were registered, a little over one-in-five actually voted, despite the fact Florida had two high profile races for governor and U.S. Senate, and a major grassroots movement, the Tea Party conservatives, challenging health-care reform, the economic stimulus and other major issues facing the nation.

• Non-electoral political action—engagement beyond the simple act of casting a ballot—is almost non-existent for Florida’s Millennials. For example, only 3% contacted or visited a public official. The result is that public officials are simply not likely to hear about the concerns and passions of younger Floridians.

• Florida’s Millennials have one of the lowest rates (ranked 48th in the nation) of participating in any type of civic, community, school, sports or religious group.

• Millennials in Florida are ranked among the bottom ten states for community engagement, such as volunteering, attending public meetings and working with neighbors in the community.

• Social class—household income and education—strongly affect civic engagement patterns. Specifically, education has a powerful effect. Those Millennials with no college experience are civically marginalized. Their voices are unheard in city halls, the statehouse and Washington. Failing to complete high school and have at least some college level experience means that a citizen will live in a “civic wilderness” where needs and opinions go unheard through political or civic processes.

• Differences in patterns of civic engagement based on race/ethnicity are not as evident among Millennials in Florida as they are among those over 30. Access to education, and also technology that might facilitate civic engagement—such as Internet use—appear to be reshaping patterns of participation among racial and ethnic minorities.

• Social connectedness boosts civic engagement among Millennials. Those that frequently talk to neighbors, eat dinner with other household members, and communicate with friends and family on-line tend to be more engaged than those that do not.