The Great Recession of 2007-2009 amounted to the most serious global economic reversal since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Add to this 9-11 and its economic disruptions and the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the first decade of the new century turned out to be an unsettling time to come of age for younger Millennials, the latest generational cohort to enter into adulthood. The older members of this group came of age in the prosperous and tranquil 1990s, but circumstances have darkened for younger members. It's too soon to tell for sure whether early 20th Century economic and social disruption will foster a return to a more materialist outlook by Millennials compared to their immediate predecessor generations, but we can look to some initial survey data to see if a materialist turn is in the cards for the future.
The "Millennial" generation includes those individuals born between 1981 and 1996 who currently ranges in age from 18 to 33. Their predecessors for attitudinal comparison are Generation X whose birth years range from 1965 through 1980, Baby Boomers born between 1946 to 1964, and the Silent Generation birthed between 1928 and 1945. The division of the living population into specific generations by age assumes that each possesses unique cultural attributes related to their particular historical experience. Post-materialist research hypothesizes that economic and social conditions prevailing as we grow up deeply shapes our fundamental outlook for life. As one generation replaces another over the long haul, the predominance of particular social and political values in the population as a whole will change in accordance with divergent generational experiences. The Silent Generation, for instance, came of age in a globally tumultuous era of economic depression and global warfare, and by comparison Baby Boomer's grew up in relative economic tranquility, although they were exposed to the stresses of the Cold War and the social and political disruptions of the 1960s. By comparison, Generation X came of age in the socially placid and relatively prosperous 1970s and 1980s. In the popular press certain stereotypes of generational outlooks gain currency and become topics of daily conversation. Millennials, for example, get accused of being self-centered and possessing excessive expectations for rapid economic advancement in comparison to their Generation X and Baby Boom predecessors, although, as we will now see, the reality, according to survey research, is more nuanced. The question I want to address here is whether the Millennials continue the historical trend toward post-materialist values or take a U-turn back to materialism. Since Millennials have entered adulthood only since the turn of the century, research on their beliefs and values is just beginning, and any findings so far are necessarily preliminary.
According to a 2014 Pew research survey, Millennials differ from older generations in the following ways: (1) a lower percent are married currently than past generations at the same age; (2) a bigger proportion is less trusting of others; (3) those who have jobs are more upbeat about their financial future than their older colleagues; (4) in the last presidential election 60% of 18-29 years old voters cast their ballot for Obama while just 44% of 65+ years old voters did the same; (5) a greater percent claim to have liberal political values; (6) a lower percent say they believe in God or see themselves as religious; (7) a larger percent claim to be supporters of gay rights, interracial marriage, marijuana legalization, and an expanded role for government, but a smaller percent see themselves as environmentalists or as a patriotic persons; and (8) a larger percent possess, or are tolerant of, tattoos and body jewelry.
Above all, Millennials tell us in this survey that they possess a high degree of tolerance for others and strongly support personal self-expression. They also have a relatively liberal political outlook and aren't rushing into the fold of traditional religion or patriotic commitment. In all these values, they look to continue the post-material trend. The exceptions include a lesser concern for environmental issues and a lessening in their trust of others relative to older generations, contrary to the usual post-materialist norms.
Given their alleged self-focus, Millennials surprisingly subscribe to "family values" at levels equal to their older peers (oldsters) in a 2009 Pew survey. Millennials claim that "being a good parent" is one of the most important things in their lives to the tune of 52 percent, not far off the 50 percent figure for the oldsters (+30). This is substantially above the 15 percent of Millennials claiming that "being successful in a high paying career" is one of the most important things in their lives, although oldsters comes in at a lower 7 percent on this survey option. Both those under and over 30 have similar numbers for "helping others in need" at 21 percent for Millennials and 20 percent for others (the oldsters). From these numbers one is hard pressed to see much narcissism in Millennials. It is true that Millennials aren't supporting "family values" by getting married as quickly as older generations did, but diminished economic prospects brought to us by the Great Recession offer the best explanation for this tardiness.
Surveys of American high school students and entering college freshmen paint a picture of Millennials more in tune with their popular conception as a strongly self-oriented generation. Compared to Baby Boomers at the same age, Millennials attached more importance to extrinsic goals such as money, image, and fame than intrinsically valued purposes such as self-acceptance, affiliation, and community. Between Generation X and the Millennials, trust in others, interest in social problems, and willingness to do something for the environment all declined, though participation in community service rose. In these attitudes we find support for the idea that Millennials can be referred to as generation "Me" as oppose to "We."
The same percent (74%) of Millennials in the American Freshman survey see "being very well off financially" and "raising a family" as important life goals, placing key forms of self- and other-oriented behavior at equal magnitudes. This is in marked contrast to the 2014 Pew survey of Millennials as a whole where "being a good parent" ranks much higher as an important goal (60%) than "having a successful career" (15%), putting other-oriented behavior on a higher plane than self-concern. This raises the possibility that values reported by high school seniors or college freshman may not be cast in stone. Economic success seems to have been downgraded in the Pew 2014 Survey by older Millennials relative to their high school senior and college freshmen leanings. In practice there looks to be more "We" to generation "Me" than suggested by surveys of high school seniors and college freshmen alone.
The diminished support by Millennials for environmentalism remains a mystery given their other post-material tendencies. Global surveys through 2009 find post-materialism to be a statistically significant factor in explaining environmental concern the world over. To the contrary for the U.S., a recent study finds environmental concern to depend positively on age, not negatively as one would expect if post-materialism, a youth-oriented phenomena, mattered significantly for environmental concern. Although being young fails to positively affects environmental concern, liberal political leanings and a pro-environmental philosophy do, attitudes generally expressed by post-materialist Millennials. Limited support by Millennials for the environment may emanate from their lack of trust in others. Researchers find that trust is a positive determinant of support for environmental protection, but Millennials possess lower average trust levels than older generations. Why this is the case remains unexplained. Perhaps lower than average Millennial trust arises from the recent sharp decline in the U.S. economy, and attendant darkened economic prospects for young job market entrants, brought on in large measure by their elders’ financial speculations and over-borrowing. Similarly, Millennials might also worry that fossil-fuel influenced politicians, pandering to campaign contributing, moneyed interests, can't be trusted to actually do anything about the environment. Given this truth, why bother much about the issue? On top of the trust problem, declining incomes earned by Millennials, due to economic disruption, and mushrooming Millennial educational debt could together be reducing a willingness to spend hard earned incomes on higher taxes or energy costs for environmental protection. On the other hand, the liberal political leanings of Millennials should be pulling their environmental concern upward. Sorting out these conflicting forces in explaining Millennial environmental attitudes is a statistical exercise yet to be performed.
In sum, Millennials in the U.S. express post-material and liberal values but environmentalism is not currently as high on their agenda as it is for others. The issues that most concern Millennials instead are free self-expression and social tolerance. Millennials claim to be politically independent, but in practice a substantial majority voted for a Democrat, Barack Obama, in the last two elections, and, like Democrats, they support a strong social safety net and favor government action to achieve it. At work they desire to be kept in the loop on larger organizational strategies, want regular feedback on how they are doing, and express impatience for advancement. They prefer working in groups and controlling their own schedule. As already noted, surveys offer mixed signals on their expectations for material gain. Research on high school seniors and college freshman point to a special Millennial desire for fame and fortune, but other surveys suggest they differ only modestly from their generational predecessors in this regard. Millennials (like post-materialists generally) have detached themselves from traditional religious practices, avoiding church membership and attendance. Their political and spiritual independence gives them a reputation for disinterest in traditional community connections. They socialize at a distance through digital media more than anyone else, and they prefer informal group attachments. Although not joiners, they do more volunteer work than their elders. Cultural informality and idiosyncrasy seems to be their hallmark, to the consternation of those committed to such traditional values as respect for authority and loyalty to church and country. Millennials in the U.S. express strong support for the usual post-materialist values, except for environmentalism and trust in others. Millennials will likely continue the advancement of the post-materialist trend in the U.S., but probably at a pace dampened by recent economic upheavals. Time and the next World Values Survey will tell. For now, the most we can say with any confidence is that the Millennial generation may be dampening the post-material turn by younger generations, but not bringing it to a halt.
I think what post-material Millennials are telling us is this: Get off your materialist economic treadmill, smell the roses, and look outward to the experience and adventure of life in the world outside your skin. Unfortunately, our economy, and its prospects for full employment, now relies on a materialist inclination, namely our tendency to expand ownership of material possessions, but this can be fixed with changes in our current economic arrangements. Before we dig into the reality and needs of a post-material future, let's make sure we have a clear picture of the wonders economic materialism has brought us historically. Then we will be in a good position to tackle how post-materialism is already changing the way we live, and to describe the economic reforms that will take us to a successful post-material future.
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