Political beliefs are changing in America. Younger adults are becoming a powerful force for altering the direction of our government over the next decade. Their liberal beliefs and principles are changing the footprint of future government policies.

Today’s young adults, ranging in age from about 18 to 30 years old, have been dubbed “millennials.” They are different than older generations in their political leanings.

The Pew Research Center describes millennials as “confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change.” They support liberal positions on most social and governmental issues, and support an activist role for government. They have voted more Democratic than older voters, according to the center. That has been true for the last five national elections.

Members of the millennial generation may get more conservative as they get older, but they are a lot more liberal than older Americans of the silent generation, or even the boomer generation were, when members of those groups were young. For example, millennials are almost twice as likely to identify as liberal as seniors are, according to a study by Advocates for Youth.

Our population is growing far more diverse than it was in the past. Millennials are 41 percent non-white. Among children 3 years old and younger, more than half are not white. This means that America is well on its way to becoming a nation in which no ethnic or racial group is in the majority. Millennials, being racially and ethnically diverse, overwhelmingly see these changes as good for the country, according to the Pew study.

As our young people grow older, we are going to be a much more diverse country, with more and more people supporting policies that are different from what a majority of the public supported in the past.

This is showing up in policy changes across the country now, particularly in marriage equality votes. Almost 75 percent of millennials support same- sex marriage, according to Advocates for Youth. That support has reverberated across the country, with 21 states now open to marriages, partnerships or civil unions of same-sex couples.

Another obvious area of change will be immigration. As the Hispanic population swells, alongside that of other immigrant groups, such as Southeast Asians, the percent of the population favoring reform grows, too.

These liberal, young adults will slowly replace the aging, conservative baby boomers in the voting public. Their votes will drive social changes in our country. But what will they do about economic change? Is there room within the millennial group for appreciating the importance of conservative views on how to build the economy? After all, young people are also having a hard time finding jobs. The unemployment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds is almost twice the rate for all Americans.

For those of us who are fiscally conservative and like to see balanced budgets, the fundamental question we need to confront is how to engage younger people by joining them on some issues they strongly support, and working to build the bridges that will encourage them to recognize what it takes to build successful businesses and fiscally sound governments, so that jobs get created.

Young liberals have turned to government to encourage progressive social practices, so it is natural that they think that government can solve all problems. If fiscal conservatives want to have smaller government where business is concerned, they will have to become more flexible on social issues. You cannot win people’s support for your business and fiscal policies if you oppose the social policies they care about.

Conservatives want limited government and free markets, people and private industries to pursue their own goals. They must gain support for these positions, by collaborating with the liberals on social issues. Instead of being rigid in their traditional views, conservatives need to moderate their positions on some hotbed issues: Women’s rights, immigration, gay rights and gun control, for example.

Collaboration means that young liberals also need to make changes. One place they can start is by examining the reasons why there are not enough jobs for them. They need to ask themselves why companies with lots of cash are not investing in future production at expected rates. When they begin to understand the nervousness of entrepreneurs, their positions on the economy may change.

We need to embrace change. It is inevitable. If we can come together, by each moving a little toward the opposite side, we will all be better off.

— Bernard Featherman is a business columnist for the Journal Tribune and former president of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce.