text: Here's how millennials could change politics - The Washington Post
  The GOP is not popular with this generation of voters. "More than four-in-ten Millennial registered voters (44%) describe themselves as independents, compared with 39% of Gen Xers and smaller proportions of Boomers (32%) and Silents (27%)," the poll says. "However, a majority of Millennials (59%) affiliate with the Democratic Party (35%) or lean Democratic (24%). Just 32% identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP." They are less religious than older generations and less likely to be married. Their skepticism of institutions runs high.
  The good news is that 80 percent of millennials "say America's openness to others is essential, compared with 68% of Gen Xers, 61% of Boomers and 54% of Silents." In keeping with their more inclusive views, "Millennials are the only generation in which a majority (55%) says Islam does not encourage violence more than other religions. … By about three-to-one (64% to 20%), more Millennials say NAFTA is good for the U.S. than say it is bad." In addition, they are extremely supportive of immigration. "Millennials, in particular, stand out for their positive views of immigrants: 79% say they strengthen rather than burden the country. " Unsurprisingly, as a generation, they are more likely to recognize that there is global warming (81 percent).
  In sum, if we want "change" in politics, it might be better to look to someone other than a 70-something billionaire. Millennials may not be very partisan, but they are inclusive, open to the world, science believers and concerned about the poor. To the extent that the GOP goes the way of European ethno-nationalist parties, it is going to lose among these voters by a mile. So long as the GOP is headed by a president who stands for many of the things this generation abhors (racism, protectionism, anti-science, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim)Democrats have an opportunity to make inroads. They will do that not by appealing to party labels or loyalty, but by stressing those values and beliefs — especially openness and inclusion — that they share with this generation.
  What may be most reassuring is that we've already seen how effective millennials can be in energizing public opinion and using social networks. They are coming of age in an era in which citizen participation (generally in opposition to Trump) is flourishing and mass movements are once again emerging. Engaging this generation as active citizens rather than passive consumers of partisan media may pay huge dividends in future years. Millennials provide some rare good news in the Trump era — here is a generation that believes in civic engagement and has confidence in its ability to influence political debate. We could use both.