How do young people think about the economy?

Young people today have markedly progressive views about a wide range of issues, whether its education, health care, or even government spending. They largely reject the conservative viewpoint that the government is the problem when looking at economic issues and also feel that free markets don't always produce the best results for society. Sometimes we need to intervene, even if that requires paying for it through higher taxes.

Also importantly Millenials are in danger of becoming the first generation to not do as well economically speaking as their parents or their grandparents actually, and that appears to have a large impact on how they view both the economy and what the government can do about it.

What separates young people's views from those of older generations?

Our report shows that young people today are more progressive in their views not only than older generations are today but also when compared to older generations when they themselves were young people. For example, an overwhelming majority of young people believe we should have universal health coverage, even if a tax increase is necessary to pay for this. And again, 87 percent of young people today believe that we should have more spending coming from the government to pay for better and more inclusive health care coverage.

Also, 95 percent of Millenials believe that we need to have more spending coming from the government for education, again, even if we need to increase taxes to pay for it. And about two-thirds of Millenials think that the government should provide more services for its citizens, again, even if we need to have a tax to pay for it.

Importantly, these are the highest levels of support for these measures that have ever been recorded in the 20 to 30 years that these questions have been asked.

What role will young people's economic views play in the elections?

Young people make up a considerable portion of the population, numbering between 80 and 90 million people today, which is actually larger than the number of baby boomers we have. And although young people are still less likely to vote than older age groups, Millenials are actually closing this gap.

As we've seen throughout the 2008 primary season, we've had increased voter turnout among all ages, including young people, and it looks like 2008 is going to be the third election in a row with increased voter turnout among the young population. Importantly, the economy is considerably listed by Millenials as being the most important issue that they're thinking about in regards to this election. And they're likely to vote with that in mind this coming November.