{"id":1001,"date":"2017-01-11T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2017-01-09T09:21:49","modified_gmt":"2017-01-09T15:21:49","slug":"what-we-know-about-millennials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/01\/11\/what-we-know-about-millennials\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Popular 2016: Millennials Misunderstood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Wesley Fryer, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Originally published Sept. 16, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

Millennial bashing is back in the spotlight, from<\/span> #howtoconfuseamillennial<\/span><\/a> to Survivor\u2019s<\/span> latest season<\/span><\/a>. Satirizing the youths is all in good fun, but when the <\/span>media<\/span><\/a> casts them as \u201c<\/span>the most high maintenance workforce in the history of the world<\/span><\/a>,\u201d the shtick can get a little old. So what do we actually know about Millennials? <\/span><\/p>\n

Social scientists look for \u201ccohort trends\u201d\u2014 changes that occur not because individual people are changing their attitudes or behaviors, but because a new generation is coming of age. <\/span>Pew Research data<\/span><\/a> shows the Millennial cohort, born between 1977 and 1992, are less likely to be married than members of other cohorts at the same age, <\/span>more likely to be non-religious<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>more likely to be living<\/span><\/a> at home despite an improving economy.\u00a0<\/span>This seems like a contradiction, but social science helps us understand why Millennials seem to be fiercely independent, but also missing key markers of adulthood. The research shows they aren\u2019t just shallow or selfish\u2014they are responding directly to unique social pressures. <\/span><\/p>\n

Surveys find the Millennial cohort focuses more on extrinsic goals like achievement and money, and it scores slightly lower on measures of empathy and community concern. We have to put these findings in context, however, because in-depth interviews show many of these beliefs stem from challenges like declining job security, economic inequality, and unreliable social institutions. <\/span><\/h5>\n