Regardless of current age, most of us have heard older generations complaining about the “kids these days.” Sometimes they are downright fearful of what will become of the world once the youth of the day are in charge. This is still the case with many Baby Boomers (ages 46-64), and even some Gen Xers (ages 30-45), who are concerned about what the Millennials (ages 13-29) are making of themselves and society.
However, it appears that Millennials might not turn out so bad, after all. Though most generations have some sort of rebellious youth movement, this group appears to be more open, progressive, racially tolerant and less religiously inclined than older generations. They are the most educated generation to date and remain positive even though more graduates are unemployed than in the previous forty years.
The group also is very socially conscious and rank being a good parent, having a successful marriage, and helping others as top priorities.
One possible reason could be that texting, tweeting, blogging, chatting, and commenting in the vast amount of social media available is a welcomed part of everyday life. This increases dialogue between people and provides an ongoing influx of opinions, views, and awareness. Since technology knows no geographical boundaries, the engagement can open up conversations between people of various backgrounds and cultures. Other technological advances such as Google, Wikipedia, blogging platforms, web applications and advancements in the mobile arena are also bringing people and ideas closer together in a real-time fashion.
Additionally, the amount of diversity in America’s youth is more prominent than ever. Pew Research Center reports that the percentage of whites among those 13-29 is at an all-time low of 59.8 percent with minorities representing the remaining 40 percent.
Besides being more diverse in racial and cultural make-up, the Millennial generation is promising to be the most politically progressive group in recent history. In the last presidential election, the discrepancy in voting preference of those over age thirty compared to those under age thirty presented the largest gap in forty years. Of the younger voters, 66 percent chose Obama with McCain coming in at 32 percent, versus a close split of 50 percent Obama and 49 percent McCain, in the over thirty group.
These observations are both general and statistical, however Pew Research Center plans to continue the study of the Millennial generation throughout 2010. The center’s surveys, in conjunction with government, educational, and economic data should provide a more solid analysis of whether this age group will continue to be as open and progressive as they are in their youth, or if they will grow more rigid in their beliefs and values as has happened in previous generations.
Photo by Pink Sherbert Photography via Flickr.