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Download and print a PDF of this graphic here. The data sources I used to create this graphic are below. See various data points regarding Americans, Millennials & Gen-Zers in Additional Data.  See more related data at: “America At The Precipice”: A special report by Jon Sutz. See my new report, focusing on those born between 1981-1996, “Meet Today’s Typical Millennial,”

 

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Data sources

(1) 47% of American adults overall say they’d vote for a socialist for elective office.

(1) Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation: “Fourth Annual Report On US Attitudes Toward Socialism,” 2019; (2) Gallup survey 2019.

(2) 43% of Americans say socialism would be a good thing for the country.

– Gallup survey 2019.

(3) 83% of U.S. college graduates and 68% of elected officials cannot identify the functional differences between the free market and a command economy.

– 2008 Intercollegiate Studies Institute survey data, as reported in “Our Fading Heritage.”

(4) Less than 50% of American adults understand the basic purpose of the Constitution, or can identify even one of their rights under it.

– 2012 survey by Xavier University; cited in: “U.S. Naturalization Citizen Test: National Survey of Native-Born U.S. Citizens.”

(5) Like most American adults, he’s unfamiliar with basic economic principles, financial and taxation facts, or harbors egregiously inverse perceptions of them.

Examples: (1) 57% of U.S. high schoolers score below proficiency regarding knowledge of basic economic principles; less than half can correctly define the term “budget deficit”; nearly half cannot identify what the stock market does, or its relationship to our economy; (2) Almost half of U.S. teens and adults believe the statement, “Money holds its value well in times of inflation,” is correct; (3) 60% of U.S. high school students, and 36% of adults, do not know that if a city government sets a maximum amount landlords can charge in rent, the most likely result is fewer apartments available than people want to rent; (4) 54% of adults do not know what a subprime mortgage is. (5) 79% of Americans are unaware that the upper 1% of income earners pay a far greater portion of their income in federal taxes than the middle class; The least-informed group: only 8% of Democrats got this right; (6) 64% of Americans are unaware that the U.S. spends more on Medicare, education, and food stamps than on national defense. The least-informed group: only 17% of Democrats got this right.

Sources: (1) 2016 survey data from the “National Capability Study” by the FINRA Foundation, cited in “Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Can’t Pass a Basic Test of Financial Literacy,” by Madeline Farber, Fortune, July 12, 2016; National Council on Economic Education survey data, cited in “Survey Finds Many Have Poor Grasp of Basic Economics,” by Mary Williams Walsh, New York Times, April 27, 2005; (2) Report: “What American Teens & Adults Know About Economics,” The National Council on Economic Education, April 26, 2005; (3) Report: “What American Teens & Adults Know About Economics,” The National Council on Economic Education, April 26, 2005; (4) National Council on Economic Education data, cited in: “It’s Economics, Stupid!,” by David Azerrad, American Council of Trustees & Alumni InFocus, Summer 2009; (5),(6): Conquest Communications Group survey for JustFacts, 2017, cited in: National Poll Shows Voters Are Widely Misinformed About Key Issues.

Also: A 2019 survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that 97% of four-year U.S. colleges don’t require students to take even a single class in economics, ad 43% don’t require a college-level mathematics course, in order to graduate.

(6) 50% of American adults cannot read above an 8th-grade level; 25% cannot read above a 4th-grade level (functional illiteracy).

– (1) National Center for Education Statistics; U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 report, “A First Look At The Literacy Of America’s Adults In The 21st Century”; (2) National Institute for Literacy; National Assessment of Adult Literacy; cited in “4th Annual E-Government Survey,” by Brown University (2004).

(7) 64% of American adults overall agree with the phrase, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” 69% either thinks it’s in the U.S. Constitution, or don’t know if it is or isn’t (up from 45% in 1987).

– (1) “Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes towards Socialism,” Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, October 17, 2016; (2) “Americans Don’t Know Their Constitution: Columbia Law Survey Finds Confusion Over Founding Fathers vs. Karl Marx,” Columbia Law School, May 29, 2002; “The American Public’s Knowledge of the U.S. Constitution: A Hearst Report” (New York, 1987).

Also: A 2019 survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that 82% of four-year U.S. colleges do not require students to take even a foundational course in U.S. government or history, in order to graduate.

(8) Half the students at 4-year colleges, and 75% at community colleges, cannot perform complex but common literacy tasks, such as understanding the arguments in a newspaper editorial, or comparing the cost-per-ounce of food.

– (1) “National Survey of America’s College Students,” Pew Charitable Trusts; cited in “Many College Students Poor On 3 Rs,” Associated Press, January 19, 2006; (2) National Center for Education Statistics; U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 report, “A First Look At The Literacy Of America’s Adults In The 21st Century”; (3) National Institute for Literacy; National Assessment of Adult Literacy; cited in “4th Annual E-Government Survey,” by Brown University (2004).

(9) 80% of seniors at America’s most elite colleges and universities cannot pass a high school history test, yet all will be able to graduate without taking a single history class of any kind.

– (1) U.S. Department of Education; cited in: “Why History?,” Readers Digest, December 2002, p.88. (2) More: NAEP 2010 data; cited in: “Grade 12 National Results”; 2008 Intercollegiate Studies Institute survey data, as reported in “Our Fading Heritage.”

(10) For every one minute he spends reading, he spends fifteen watching TV/video (live or time-shifted).

– (1) Bureau of Labor Statistics: Table 11A. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, averages per day, 2018 annual averages; (2) Vox: We’re spending more time on our phones despite the “time well spent” movement.

(11) Only 45% of Americans say they are “extremely” proud to be Americans — a record low.

– 2019 survey by Gallup; cited in: “American Pride Hits New Low; Few Proud of Political System.”

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Additional data about Americans, Millennials and Gen-Zers

Also see my new report, “Meet Today’s Typical Millennial.”

39% of Millennials and Gen-Zers (22%, 17%) think all private property should be abolished.

– Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation: “Fourth Annual Report On US Attitudes Toward Socialism,” 2019.

61% of Americans aged between 18 and 24 have a positive reaction to the word “socialism.”

– Axios survey January 2019.

39% of Americans overall have a favorable view of socialism; 64% of Democrats and 13% of Republicans have this view.

– Cato Institute 2019 survey.

The percentage of Democrats who view socialism favorably grew from 25% in 1942, to 53% in 2010, to 57% in 2018, to 64% in 2019. From 2010-2018, an average of 17% of Republicans view socialism favorably.

– Roper survey 1942; Gallup surveys, 2o18, Cato Institute survey 2019.

22% of Millennials agree with the statement, “Society would be better if all private property was abolished.”

– Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation – YouGov survey, 2019.

The number of Americans ages 18-29 who view capitalism favorably dropped from 68% in 2010, to 57% in 2016, to 45% in 2018.

– Gallup survey, 2018.

Like most Millennials, she doesn’t trust U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) or the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE); 25% want to see ICE shut down.

– YouGov survey, August 2019.

Only 12% of American high school seniors are proficient in history, which is their worst subject.

– YouGov survey, and NAEP, via Intellectual Takeout analysis.

42% of Millennials are unfamiliar with Mao Tsetung; 32% of Millennials and Gen-Zers believe George W. Bush killed more people than Stalin.

– YouGov survey, via Intellectual Takeout analysis.

In the 2020 elections, for the first time, Millennials and members of Generation Z will form the largest voting bloc (37.5%).

– Pew Research, via Brookings Institution analysis.

Gen Z and Millennials are projected to make up 37% of the electorate in 2020, the largest single voting bloc.

– Harris 2019 survey, via Axios.

The top three issues that will influence Millennials’ voting in 2020 are (1) access to health care, (2) global warming/climate change, and (3) mass shootings.

– Harris 2019 survey, via Axios.

The top three issues that will influence Millennials’ voting in 2020 are (1) mass shootings, (2) racial equality, and (3) immigration policy and treatment of immigrants.

– Harris 2019 survey, via Axios.

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