Young People Lean Democrat, Less Trusting of Others, Study Says

We already know that young people are generally more liberal than their counterparts from older generations, but a new study by the Pew Research Center gives a more nuanced portrait of how millennials vote and what they care about.

Here are nine charts that tell the story:

1. Millennials disavow the traditional two-party label.

2. But they lean toward Democrat candidates when forced to choose.

3. In the past decade, young people have increasingly voted for Democrats.

4. That makes sense, since millennials are liberal on issues like immigration.

5. And gay marriage.

6. But young people blend in with the rest of the population when it comes to controversial issues like abortion and gun rights.

7. And they’re relatively apathetic when it comes to the environment.

8. The report gives some insight into how whites and non-whites viewed two hot-button topics, marijuana legalization and gay marriage. For the most part, age meant more than race.

9. Or maybe we just want to forget all this politics stuff, grab a shotgun and head out to a cabin somewhere. Millennials don’t have much trust in anyone.

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.