Vice.com: All The Kids Are Libertarians
Voters ranging in age from 18 to 29, the poll found, were neither here nor there on a traditional left/right political spectrum, and many displayed lukewarm feelings towards liberalism. Few, for instance, put faith in the government’s ability to stimulate the economy through spending (what’s known as Keynesian economics), less than half thought the government should provide free health care to those who can’t afford it, and a remarkably small number—just 28 percent—thought the government should prioritize environmental concerns like global warming over economic concerns. At the same time, these voters backed away from social and neo-conservative ideals: They weren’t anti-gay, they didn’t like religion in their politics, and they tended to pooh-pooh preemptive war. What remained, political scientists and pollsters noted, looked an awful lot like the silhouette of libertarianism, a political philosophy that champions small government and tolerant social attitudes (think Soundgarden’s “My Wave”) and—that especially for youngsters—is fueled by a deep distrust of mainstream politics.
