Harvard Study Suggests Millennials Have Given Up on Democracy

Young people around the world are losing faith in democracy. 

A new Harvard study reveals that millennials in the United States and Europe do not think as highly about democracy as their parents do. In fact, many young people are willing to get rid of elections altogether. 

The study, which appears in the Journal of Democracy, analyzed historical data on attitudes towards the government in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. 

What researchers found was a growing shift towards political radicalism in today's youth. 

For example, millennials in the United States and Europe are more open to the idea of military coups than their parents. 

Only 19% of millennials in the U.S. do not believe a military takeover is legitimate in a democracy. That is a huge difference compared to 43% of older citizens who do not believe  military coups are legitimate.

Meanwhile, only a third of US millennials believe civil rights are "absolutely essential" in a democracy, compared with 41% among older Americans. In the European Union, it's 39% and 45%, respectively.

When it comes to elections, more than a quarter of US millennials do not believe free elections are important to democracy. 

While researchers are not sure what these statistics mean for the future of politics and democracy, many think this radical change stems from naivety. 

Since most millennials in this generation have grown up in highly stable democracies, they may take it for granted. 

"They have become more cynical about the value of democracy as a political system, less hopeful that anything they do might influence public policy," the researchers said, adding that millennials are "more willing to express support for authoritarian alternatives."