They're 17 to 29, and they're liberals.
Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll.
Sounds good.
They share with the public at large a negative view of President Bush, who has a 28 percent approval rating with this group, and of the Republican Party.
There's a problem coming up, but we'll get to that in a minute.
Young Americans appear to lean slightly more to the left than the general population: 28 percent described themselves as liberal, compared with 20 percent of the nation at large.
They're tolerant.
In one potential sign of shifting attitudes, respondents, by overwhelming margins said they believed that the nation was prepared to elect as president a woman, a black or someone who admitted to having used marijuana. But they said they did not believe Americans would elect as president someone who had used cocaine or a Mormon.
Well, not many of us have used a Mormon, so that shouldn't be big deal. But here's the problem.
The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.
