Is there hope for our future? Are today’s youth equipped to become tomorrow’s leaders?
Despite some of the negative labels attached to “Generation Y,” many of its 73 million members show both hope and promise as the leaders of tomorrow.
Also called “the millennium generation, “the hip-hop generation,” or “echo baby boomers,” those born between 1977 and 1994 will comprise 34% of the U.S. population by 2015. While there are some negative stereotypes about Generation Y, in many ways these young people outshine their parents.
Last but not least, Generation Y’ers care about their world. They hold strong beliefs about a variety of issues, and many promising young people work hard and aspire to affect positive change.
The face of America is changing, and Generation Y is providing the poster children.
Members of the younger generation are very diverse, and therefore comfortable with those who are not exactly like them. According to U.S. census statistics, 38% of these Generation Y’ers are non-white.
The racial lines become more blurred as interracial marriages are on the rise. A University of Michigan study showed, "the percentage of interracial marriages has quadrupled in the last 50 years."
Add to that the fact that multiracial births are on the rise. In California, for example, "multiracial/ethnic births increased from about 12% of all births in 1982 to about 14% in 1997," according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
“Most people in my generation have shed the biases of our parents and grandparents,” said Jane Goodman, 22, of Livonia, a promising member of Generation Y. “We are comfortable living and working with members of all races.”
As Generation Y hits college, they will be seeing more ethnic diversity in the halls, too. A report entitled "Achieving Equity As Generation Y Goes to College" from the Educational Testing Service finds that "college campuses will clearly be much more racially and ethnically diverse in the coming decades," according to the University of Maryland's Diversity Digest.
Generation Y also tends to be more tolerant of other religions, income levels, and sexual orientations. “We are the first generation to openly embrace the lesbian and gay movement,” noted Goodman.
Generation Y’ers are "more liberal and progressive" than older generations, both in political leanings and on social issues such as homosexual marriage and immigration. 54% of voters younger than 30 voted for Senator John Kerry last year -- the only age group the Democratic presidential candidate carried, the study noted.
Today's youth will also tune into television programming and movies that are reflective of a more accepting and diverse society.
Generation Y members are also strongly religiously pluralistic -- only 7% said "all" of their friends were of the same religion, and about 10% said they belonged to a non-Christian religion, according to a study “How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era.”
Is this because young Americans take a mix and match approach to religion, or is it a result of an even deeper culture war?
The answer to that question is that there are two distinct groups of young Americans: those who push their religious pluralism, and those who do not want to lose traditional and religious moorings. 26% of young Americans call themselves Protestants, with 20% identifying themselves as Catholic. Yet 23% of Generation Y, like Generation X, do not identify with a religious denomination or do not believe in God. This is more than twice the number of nonbelievers among baby boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1965.
Studies have indicated that young adulthood is often a time when religious interest drops. Federal data tracked by the Washington-based research group “Child Trends” shows that 12th-graders are less likely than 8th-graders to say that religion plays an important role in their lives. The trend is reflected in student attendance at weekly religious services.
Still, religious identity plays a significant role in the lives of Generation Y’ers.
More than half said they regularly pray before meals, and a third or more said they talk about religion with friends, attend worship services and read religious materials every week.
They also hold other moral values in addition to their religious beliefs. The biggest concern of Generation Y members is the solidly "moral" issue of non-marital sex – 35% of the younger generation is "very worried about getting a sexually transmitted disease," the study noted.
Another area where the hip-hop generation shines is their ability to work with technology. Many young people were raised on computers and computer games, and any baby boomer who has tried to compete with his child in this area knows that it is no contest. While boomers are still mastering Microsoft Windows, their kids are tapping away at computers in nursery school.
Goodman has already earned her computer science degree, and plans on returning to school to become a lawyer.
“The leaders in my generation are those who know how to use technology,” she said. “Technology is the future, and studies show we will continue to use it more and more, whether it’s to communicate, to shop, or to run our businesses.”
Despite their reputation for technical excellence, Goodman admits that her generation also has a reputation for being spoiled and lazy. Studies do confirm that Generation Y’ers value their leisure time, and are less willing than previous generations to work crazy hours just to get ahead.
A priest recently spoke to graduates at a church in northern Michigan. “I predict, that within 25 years, if we don’t change the goals and aspirations of our kids, the nation will be run by outsiders,” he said.
He turned to the parents and grandparents. “Stop spoiling these kids and giving them false security!” he scolded. He turned back to the graduates, and told them repeatedly to “start aspiring to the higher goals in life.”
Goodman does not think it’s fair to assume that all young people do not have goals.
“Young people that I know are very high energy, and we have high expectations for ourselves,” she said. “I’ve gone to school with many people who aspire to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other professional positions requiring intense work and studies.”
Generation Y’ers may not like to work as hard, but they have a high need to be active and social. They tend to choose their homes and places of employment near other people, and in many areas, their choice of housing goes against the suburban quest of their parent’s generation.
"My generation likes to be very active, and go a lot of places,” said John Steinberg, age 21, of Farmington Hills. Steinberg runs his family landscaping business for part of the year while his father is semi-retired in Florida.
“We also love change as we get bored easily.”
Due to their need for constant and varied activity, many of today’s young people are also experts at multi-tasking. They have to be, to survive in the hectic pace of a modern world.
“Many of us were raised in two income families, and multi-tasking was essential,” said Steinberg. Three out of four Generation Y’ers have working mothers, and one out of four grew up in a single-parent household.
"This is a very pragmatic group. At 18 years old, they have five-year plans. They are already looking at how they will be balancing their work/family commitments," says Deanna Tillisch, who directed a survey on Generation Y’ers.
Generation Y’ers are more than pragmatic, they are also dreamers. Like lofty students in generations before her, Goodman believes her peers are capable of changing the world. “We have hopes and dreams like everyone else, and many of us want to be leaders for positive change.”
Barry Blackwell is not waiting until the future to start leading others. At age 19, he is running to become the youngest member ever of the Detroit City Council.
Blackwell is optimistic for his generation, and believes that they will succeed with the right leadership.
“I have 100% confidence that this generation can succeed in our city,” he said. “Young people want to succeed, but you must expect success in order to achieve success.”
Blackwell represents a generation that is not afraid of change. “I have no fears, just questions,” he said. “I am constantly learning something new about myself and about Detroit.”
One thing Blackwell has learned is that the city is not currently governed by his generation. If he wins the election, his first step will be to sit down with his peers and create an agenda. “No one has listened to us yet, but our time is coming,” he said.
“Not one organization has adopted a political agenda for young people. I have respect for the current council, but young people are not being represented.”
Blackwell, a west side resident who studies Political Science at Wayne State University, has had nothing but positive feedback as he attends neighborhood and community meetings. Despite the fact that 143 people are running for nine city council seats, he believes his chances to make city council are good “if I continue reaching people.”
One of his ideas is to tap into the $1 billion annual hip-hop industry to help solve some of the city’s problems. “While older generations may view hip-hop negatively, much of the music contains positive messages,” Blackwell explained.
He believes that many businesses could be built around the hip-hop industry, and that these businesses would help employ many of the 18-29 year old black people in Detroit who are currently considered unemployable.
“There is a tremendous amount of untapped energy in this city that could be used for something positive and enjoyable,” he said.
A graduate of Crockett Technical High School, Blackwell is a strong supporter of the Detroit Public School System. He believes that fixing the schools should be a top priority. “People do not realize how many wonderful people and programs we have in the Detroit Public School System,” Blackwell said. “I had a wonderful experience, and those who have the right attitude can succeed.”
If he were elected, Blackwell would also concentrate on creating recreation centers and after school jobs and programs. “Right now, there’s nothing to do in Detroit,” he said. And Generation Y’ers need to have something to do.
Not only do members of the younger generation need to be busy, they also like a lot of stuff. “We've been spoiled,” laughed one teen. “We've been raised with all the best, and we want to continue to enjoy the best.”
Member of this generation already have annual incomes totaling $211 billion, according to a study from Harris Interactive. The study found that Generation Y spends $172 billion per year and saves $39 billion per year, and drives many adult purchasing decisions. One in nine high school students has a credit card co-signed by a parent, and many will take on extensive debt to finance college.
Consequently, the Y Generation represents the future market for most consumer brands. In just a few years, today's teens will be out of college and shopping for their first cars, their first homes, and their first mutual funds. “Most expect to have careers and are already thinking about home ownership,” according to a 1998 survey of college freshman for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.
The distinctive buying habits they display today will likely follow them as they enter the high-spending years of young adulthood.
"Most marketers perceive the echo boomers as kids. When you do that, you
fail to take in what they are telling you about the consumers they are
becoming," says J. Walker Smith, a managing partner at Yankelovich Partners
Inc. who specializes in generational marketing. "This is not about teenage
marketing. It is about the coming of age of a generation."
Since Generation Y grew up in a media-saturated materialistic world, they
respond to ads differently than previous generations. They also prefer to
encounter those ads in different places. The ads that appeal to Generation Y
are those that are shown in places these kids congregate, whether it's the
Internet or a college football game.
Companies unable to click with Generation Y will miss a vast new market--and could find the doors thrown open to new competitors. ''Think of them as this quiet little group about to change everything,'' says Edward Winter of the U30 Group, a Knoxville Tennessee consulting firm.
Nike has found out the hard way that Generation Y is different. Although still hugely popular among teens, the brand has lost its grip on the market in recent years, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a Northbrook, Illinois market researcher. Nike's slick national ad campaigns, with their emphasis on image and celebrity, helped build the brand among boomers, but they have backfired with Generation Y.
"I could not care less if some big basketball player wears a certain type
of shoe,” said Steven James, 13, of Milford. Generation Y members also tend
to educate themselves about which companies deserve their business. Any
allegations of inhumane overseas labor practices will turn them away from a
company in droves.
Advertisement has also changed to accommodate this new generation. Young
people today respond to humor, irony, and the (apparently) unvarnished
truth.
For example, Sprite has scored with ads that parody celebrity endorsers and carry the tagline ''Image is nothing. Obey your thirst.'' J.C. Penney & Co.'s (JCP) hugely successful Arizona Jeans brand has a new campaign showing teens mocking ads that attempt to speak their language. The tagline? ''Just show me the jeans.''
The torrent of high-speed information has made Generation Y fashions more varied and faster changing. Young consumers have shown that they will switch their loyalty in an instant to marketers that can get ahead of the style curve.
"This is a generation that must be reckoned with,” says David Spangler, director of market research for the Levi's brand. “Very soon, they are going to overtake the country."
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