Millennial Power

February 29, 2008

This election is fascinating, due to the massive response by young adults, the so-called millennial generation, says Donald Miller, a professor of religion and sociology in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

“I think we’re seeing a real interesting turn from Generation X, who tended to be apolitical, and instead 18-year-olds on up are turning out in large numbers, obviously primarily for Barack Obama, but not exclusively,” Miller says. “If you look at Hillary Clinton’s audiences, there are a number of young adults there also.”

“I think that there’s a bit of a cultural shift, or even a shift in values, with this current generation of students. For example, my impression — and I think this is borne out by some recent surveys and polls — is that the millennial generation is somewhat more traditional,” Miller says. “Rather than simply knocking down institutions, they want to reform and embrace institutions. This includes even the institution of the family. This generation is more inclined to be writing home to mom and dad if they’re college students. They’re more inclined to show up at family celebrations, and they also clearly are excited by the current campaign in the sense that they want to vote. They want their voice to be heard, and so we’re seeing something very interesting in this election that may be a rather hopeful sign for the future.”

Donald Miller is an expert on values, faith-based social services and the sociology of religion in America. He holds the Leonard K. Firestone Professorship in Religion and is executive director of USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Contact him at (213) 740-0278 (office), (626) 794-2174 (home) or demiller@usc.edu.