A survey released May 1 by the Fund for American Studies (TFAS) found that 93 percent of millennials support religious freedom and 92 percent support free speech.
“The media keeps showing us images of violent protests on college campuses, young Americans being angry and disruptive, but the truth is that millennials support religious and social freedoms more than non-millennials,” said TFAS president Roger Ream. “There's a vast, silent majority of millennials who embrace these freedoms and those are the young men and women we are seeing in our programs.”
The study found:
Millennials (ages 18-34) represent the best indication of how the next generation views freedom and the implication for future public policy. They predominantly believe that “more government” is necessary to protect freedoms. But they also believe the government should be safeguarding freedom more so than guaranteeing security:
- Almost 6 out of 10 millennials would choose liberty (60%) over security (40%) as opposed to individuals age 55-64 who are evenly split in their support for security (49%) and liberty (51%).
- 54% of millennials support “more government” over “less government” (40%) as opposed to non-millennials who support “less government” (51%) over “more government” (45%).
The study also explored the difference between political parties by looking at their attitudes toward liberty and security.
- Republicans support security (57%) over liberty (43%)
- Democrats support liberty (64%) over security (36%)
- Independents support security (60%) over liberty (40%)
More information on the study is available on the Fund for American Studies website.
