About the survey
This Rare survey was conducted by Gravis Insights between April 27 and May 5. A total of 2,261 registered voters of all ages were interviewed about several issues using landlines, cellphones and Internet panels. Overall, the poll has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points and was weighted by select demographic characteristics.
About Rare
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With all of these important issues, the exclusive Rare Under 40 poll seeks to provide a comprehensive look at the outlooks and ideas of younger Americans to see how they compare with older generations. The in-depth scientific survey asked a range of cultural questions, looking for insights on race, religion, politics, same-sex marriage, climate change and the direction of our country.
>>Read about all of the findings of the Rare Under 40 poll
Overall, the Rare Under 40 poll revealed some surprising (and not-so-surprising) answers. These were the top 5 highlights:
More young people think climate change will affect them during their lifetime.
The majority of people under 40 think climate change will affect them in their lifetimes (53 percent), more so than respondents over 40 (47 percent). Of young Americans who identify their religion as "other," a whopping 70 percent think they'll witness the effects of climate change.
2. The future
Young people feel like they’re still victims of discrimination.
Most Americans are still pessimistic about the direction of our country — but generations under 40 and over 40 are divided about whether they're better or worse off than eight years ago. More young Americans say they are better (41 percent) than people over 40 (35 percent).
But looking forward, nearly half of young people still say they feel like our culture discriminates against them. The sentiment was even clearer among young blacks (75 percent) and most Democrats (53 percent).
3. Police brutality
Racism and police brutality are problems, but people still trust the police.
The majority of Americans of all ages think racism is a major problem and they don't think it's OK for police to profile on the basis of race or ethnicity. But overall, all age groups still trust police to do the right thing.
4. Race relations
Young people are more open to marrying someone of another race.
When it comes to interracial friendships and romances, the differences between young and old was stark.
People under 40 are more likely to have had a romantic relationship with a member of another race. And a much larger majority of young people would consider interracial marriage (69 percent) than the older generations (45 percent).
5. Religion
Many young people say it’s a Christian nation, but don’t want to make it official.
Americans under 40 are less likely than older generations to say the U.S. is a Christian nation, and most oppose making Christianity the country's official religion. But even though many young people do think it's a Christian nation (42 percent), only 34 percent would go further and support a law making Christianity the official religion.
Rare explored 24 questions in-depth, taking a close look at the difference between age groups while also weighing key demographic differences such as political party, race and education. It's also an opportunity to revisit the previous Rare Under 40 poll, which found young people hold surprising views on Obama, marijuana, God and more.
Read more at rare.us.
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