You're More Comfortable Talking Politics At Work Than Your Parents — Here's Why

Talking about politics can be awkward — especially in a work setting.

Politics are deeply personal, and not everyone wants to air their views on controversial issues while earning a living. These conversations often get pretty heated.

Moreover, the US is still deeply divided over the 2016 presidential election, and a lot of people aren't too happy Donald Trump is president.

But apparently, many millennials have no qualms about discussing politics at work.

According to a new survey from Peakon, 34 percent of Americans are too scared to talk about politics at work, while 66 percent are OK with it.

Meanwhile, 68 percent of 18-34-year-olds (millennials) said they feel "no discomfort" when it comes to getting political on the job.

They were more likely than any other generation to say this.

Comparatively, just 62 percent of 55-64-year-olds said they were comfortable talking about politics at work.

Offering more insight on why this is, Peakon co-founder Dan Rogers told Elite Daily,

Thanks to the internet, millennials are accustomed to sharing their opinions everywhere — on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, etc. These social media habits are often brought into the workplace and encourage internal communication to become more open. As research (for example, Pew's Millennial report) has shown, this generation tend to be more confident and open to change than older colleagues. As such, they have also shifted workplace environments to become more transparent. Whether an opinion is related to work, entertainment or current affairs, the millennial culture inspires Gen-Yers to discuss issues in an open way with their co-workers.

Rogers added,

It is important for managers to build a culture where everybody feels comfortable voicing their opinion. Diversity, and the respect that goes with it, should be encouraged at every point. An open business environment sparks creativity, generates responsibility and attracts talent.

The Peakon study also noted if only millennials had voted in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton would've won in a landslide.

To put this into perspective, 55 percent of this generation voted for Clinton on Election Day, while just 37 percent voted for Trump.

So, it doesn't hurt that, in terms of politics, most people of this generation are more or less on the same page.

Long story short, the confidence and likemindedness of Millennials is why they are more likely to be perfectly fine with discussing politics in the workplace.

Millennials, who happen to be the largest generation in the US, are definitely poised to change America in major ways in the coming years as they get older and assume positions of leadership.

Citations: Discussing politics at work: How comfortable are the American public? (Peakon)