Young Americans overwhelmingly favor local communities over the federal government to handle issues of business regulation, education reform, and providing opportunities to overcome poverty.
In a new study released Tuesday by the American Enterprise Institute, groups were asked if they felt that overall things in the country were going in the right direction or if they were failing.
Nearly two-thirds responded that things in this country were getting off track, compared to about 30 percent who said the country is doing okay.
They then asked the same of their local communities. Unlike the national government, 66 percent of respondents said their local communities were doing very well, with only 25 percent saying they were seriously off track.
Another part of the study showed how connected people are to their home states and cities.
"More than half of those surveyed by Allstate/National Journal (54 percent) say they currently live in the same area where they grew up, and nearly half (48 percent) in another question say they have lived in their local area 21 years or more,"the report stated.
This strong connection has lead many to favor their local governments as better equipped to solve political issues such as employment, business, and education.
A group of millennials, between the ages of 18 to 29, were given a list of issues and asked if a "national institution"or "State institution"would do a better job of solving them.
State institutions were favored upwards of 57 percent in improving the way we educate young people, finding new ways to provide more opportunities to poor people, developing new products and services that create new jobs, improving wages and living standards for average families, and ensuring that businesses are regulated fairly and consistently.
Sixty-nine percent said local communities were better at solving issues over the federal government because, "New ideas and solutions are more likely to come from State and local institutions like government, business, and volunteer or community organizations because they are closer to the problems, are more adaptable, and have more at stake in finding solutions."
The national government was considered competent than local government in finding ways to conserve energy and improve the environment.