For decennary , everything in America seemed to roll around thebaby boomers . Born in the post - World War II era of 1946 to 1964 , and 76 million strong , they influenced everything from government and political economy to graphics and pa culture . That ’s a lot of people – one - fourth of the U.S. universe , to be precise . But a much larger contemporaries has now eclipsed the babe boomers – the millennials [ sources : Fry , Pollard and Scommegna ] .
Depending on which generator you expend , millennials , akaGeneration Y , are defined as those who were born between 1981 and 1997 , or even 1980 and 2004 [ source : Fry , White House ] . Using the latter definition , they represented one - third of the full U.S. universe in 2013 and are poised to leave as big an imprint on America ’s economy and guild as the boomers have . Millennials are a typical genesis in many way . Thanks to an uptick in in-migration , they ’re the most diverse generation to date , with 42 percent identifying as a race or ethnicity that ’s not non - Hispanic white . They ’re also the most civilize , with 61 per centum having attend to college versus 46 pct of boomers ( and there are still millennials of mellow - school age ) . Millennials are also the first American generation to be plug into theInternetfrom an former age [ source : White House ] .
Exactly how this contemporaries will influence America and the world remains to be seen . But the rest of us have already started labeling them , assign various characteristics to these millions of young folks that may or may not be accurate . Here are some of the things we ’re presently say about millennials that are n’t necessarily true .
10: Millennials Aren’t Religious
There ’s no altercate it . Fewer young people can be regain sitting in church pews today compared to older Americans . Further , studies show 25 percent of millennials are n’t affiliated with any particular faith , fewer of them ( compared to old folks ) say religion is very important in their biography and fewer attend adoration services than did baby boomer when they were the same age . Clearly , millennials have kicked religion to the AMEX [ source : Pond , Smith and Clement ] .
Or maybe not . Religion is a large-minded concept , and can be look at as something much more than just warm up a church bench on Sunday mornings . Despite their absence in churches , synagogues and mosques , resume show millennials ' belief in religious tenets such aslife after death , heaven and hell , and miracles is pretty similar to the beliefs of baby boomer and those in Generation X ( That ’s the generation between the boomers and the millennials ) . You also have to deliberate age when search at millennials and religion . While millennials report praying less often than senior masses , for case , their daily supplicant charge per unit ( 48 percent ) is passably much the same as was report by baby boomers , Generation Xand others when they were under 30 . So disengagement from religion may be years - related and temporary more than generational [ root : Pond , Smith and Clement ] .
9: No One Feels More Entitled Than They Do
One vulgar criticism older mass have of millennials is that they have a strong signified of entitlement , likely because their parent gave them almost anything they wanted while they were originate up . So as untested adults in the workplace , millennials are front to be handed direction jobs from the start , rather than working their style up the ladder . And companies had better declare oneself loads of amenities , too , like cafeterias with healthy food choice , gymnasium , yogaclasses and on - site child care . Telecommuting optionsand pliable schedules should be a establish as well .
Millennials , in contrast , generally view themselves as hardworking , consecrate and patriotic young adult , allot to one research worker who has review this group [ germ : Graves ] . Members of this contemporaries entered one of the bad job markets in history ; they ’re despairing to find employ and unforced to work once they have it . In fact , it ’s not clear if millennials really experience more entitled than other generations at the same age . Surprisingly , a cogitation does n’t seem to have been done on the outlet [ source : Foster ] .
If millennials require certain piece of work fringe benefit , it may not be because they ’re spoiled , but rather they ’re await at the big film . Raised with applied science , for lesson , they may not interpret why telecommuting is n’t an alternative ( and truthfully , fellowship sometimes decline to tender it for no good reason ) . And if good wellness correlates to few sick mean solar day , why would n’t a company have a gymnasium or offer nutritious foods in its cafeteria ? Then too , perhaps they ’re simply like members of previous generations when they first put down the workforce – young adults who postulate a little sentence to adapt to the realities of the office [ source : Graves , Green ] .
8: Millennials Are Racially Tolerant
It seems somewhat obvious that those belonging to the millennial multiplication are part of the most colorblind multiplication America has ever birthed . Slavery and segregation in the U.S. stop well before they were hold . People are pouring into the nation from all over the globe . And theU.S. Census Bureau has farseeing predictedthe U.S. will become a majority - nonage res publica by 2043 . Race is simply a nonissue for millennials .
Is n’t it ? Yes , millennials say they support interracial wedding in larger numbers than previous coevals . And they ’re more in favour ofimmigration , too , than previous generations . More millennials also consort everyone should be treated equally , no matter what their race . But these are ego - cover notion . When Syracuse University professor Spencer Piston see the 2012 American National Election Studies racial stereotype battery , he found white millennials were as coloured as their parent when it came to viewing themselves as more intelligent and hardworking than African - Americans . And although only 13 pct of white millennials respond to a Pew survey said they did n’t imagine whites and African - Americans got along very well , a full 30 percent of nonwhite millennials thought the two groups had payoff . So while millennials say they ’re racially kind – and many do believe they are – there ’s definitely some bias hiding beneath the surface [ source : McElwee ] .
7: They Need Constant Praise
They say it ’s the faulting of the old generation . Because parents coddled their baby millennials , shower down them with congratulations for everyday accomplishments and handing out trophy just for showing up , unseasoned - grownup millennials now are spoiled , invariably fishing for blessing and praise . It ’s true that members of this genesis tend to face for a nod that they ’re doing well , but not necessarily because they ’re spoiled .
Millennials were raised in an era where kids had a say in what they did both in school and later . They were always evaluated in schooling and during sports and otherafter - schooltime activities , and instructed on how to best meliorate their acquirement . They were also encouraged to aim high and take on as much as they could . ( For instance , it was n’t enough to just play on a high school squad – they had to play on a year - round of golf locomote team as well . ) As adult , this can translate to employees seeking feedback and statement ; research shows 80 pct of millennials want steady feedback from their managers , and 80 per centum choose on - the - blot acknowledgment to conventional reviews [ source : DeMonte ] . Yet their affirmation - seeking is n’t necessarily because they ’re see for an unwarranted pat on the back – they ’re just used to quick feedback . On the positive side , this breeding also means millennials tend to take guidance if they ’re on the wrong caterpillar track , which is a big plus in any employee [ reference : Graves ] .
6: Millennials Are Social Media Experts
Ever heard someone say , " We take to hire a young somebody to deal our social media"?That’sa big generalisation . It ’s honest that millennials grew up right along with the technology revolution : the Internet , email , instant - message , cell phone , texting and social medium . And a common ill from members of older generation is that millennials are glued to their smartphones and tablets . Because of their addiction to their devices , and their penchant for social media ( Facebook , Instagram and the like ) , it must follow that millennials are societal media pro and junkies .
certain , millennials as a whole are savvier than other generational group at social medium . A full 75 percent of them have at least one societal - media bill , while only half of Gen Xers do . ( And babe boomers ? Less than one - third ! ) [ source : White House ] . Yet , do n’t assume this makes any single millennial mechanically adept at societal medium or able to practice it for business purposes . selling scheme goes beyond the ability to " tweet . " Plus millennials are n’t needfully using the social platforms that agree a company ’s needs . Of the top 15 mobile apps used by millennials , Twitter was 14th in popularity [ source : Dua ] . Finally , one 2013 workplace study record millennials get today ’s always - plug - in work environment stressful – more nerve-racking than cover by Gen Xers and boomers [ generator : Cornerstone OnDemand ] .
5: Millennials Don’t Want to Be Homeowners
Remember a few 10 back , when everyone was fly the metropolis and settling in the suburbs ? Then , when millennials came along , they commence clump back to America ’s newly redeveloped inside urban center . Who wants to own a menage with all of the work it entail ? It ’s much more fun to rent a hip downtown flat , with its wanton access to funky shops , heavy eatery and lots of entertainment locale . Yet pipe dream of home possession remain strong for millennials – even more so than for their elders . A 2014 survey by Zillow Real Estate Research found about two - thirds of those older 18 to 34 felt owning a home was critical to living " the expert spirit " compare to 56 per centum of people aged 35 - 49 [ sources : Davidson , Terrazas ] .
It ’s really not surprising that today ’s millennials for the most part arerenters . Remember , they began diving into the job market when unemployment rate were high . This meant they often had to take lower - paying jobs , which equates to less money usable to stash aside for a down payment . Plus , member of this generation are delaying wedlock until they ’re sometime ; it ’s a lot harder for a individual person to scrape together enough money to purchase a home than it is for two masses to do so . While their homebuying may be delayed , it should pass eventually [ reference : Davidson ] .
4: No Marriage For Them
Pew Research project a full 25 percent of millennials will still be single by the time they ’ve hit their mid-40s to mid-50s . People who were the same age ( 25 to 34 ) back in both 1960 and 1970 , in contrast , marriedat much high rates . When these two groups of citizenry gain their mid-40s to mid-50s , only 5 percent persist single . Further , Pew reports 24 percentage of never - married millennials are currently living with a partner , choose cohabiting over marriage [ source : Wang and Parker ] .
So does that mean union is die out among millennials ? It ’s truthful Americans are wait longer to get conjoin . In 1960 , the median age for a woman ’s first matrimony was 20 ; for men , it was 23 . In 2015 , it is 27 for woman and 29 for piece – a trend that ’s been going on for some time [ source : Raphelson ] . Yet delaying wedlock does n’t mean no interestingness in marriage . Some millennials are wait to marry until they ’re more financially secure , while others want to bemore advanced in their career . Many have n’t found the right person yet . When they were high schooling seniors , 80 percent of millennials say they wanted to marry someday – a bombastic per centum than reported by Gen Xers and baby baby boomer at that years [ source : White House ] . So yes , millennials do care about marriage . They just are n’t in a flush to tie the knot .
3: They’re Content to Live With Mom and Dad
It ’s been a joke for a while – millennials are boomerang Thomas Kyd who move out of their parent ' base one day or month or yr , only to move back in again a little after . In 2012 , 36 percent of them were exist at home – the gamey percentage in at least 40 age [ source : Fry ] . What befall to the good , honest-to-god sidereal day when kids take their bag at age 18 and never reckon back ? Where is the movement for independence among this generation ? Why are they happy to have their age parents continue to support them ?
One of the reasons so many millennials are living at house is a incontrovertible one : More young citizenry are going tocollegetoday than in the past tense , often living at domicile to keep open money . Unfortunately , many of these same untested adults calibrate with astounding amounts ofstudent - loan debt , then were faced with a tight job food market , courtesy of the 2008 Great Recession . This duple whammy all but necessitated a move back home in many case . impart to that a contemporaries that is hold up marriage , and has closer ties with its parent than those of the past , and moving back home almost seems a given [ sources : Weissmann , White House ] .
2: Always Job-Hopping
Millennials are wide see asjob - hoppersfor various reason . One is that they ’re strictly out for themselves – they ’re not concerned in being team players – so they ’ll grab hold of whatever deal is the good , even if it means switch jobs every year . Another hypothesis says they ’ve learn employers lay off their friends and congenator with no qualms , and acquire they ’ll be treated the same . Thus , if their employer has no design of being fast to them , why should they debate being fast to their employer ? Interestingly , millennials are n’t really line - hopper at all .
When millennials leave alone a job , it ’s usually due to a deficiency of business advancement potential . If they felt there was the possibility of upward mobility in the party , one study showed millennials would remain in their task for five class [ generator : Hecht ] . Other field of study showed that overall , millennials are actually puzzle with employers longer than Gen X doer did when they were the same age . They ’re also optimistic about finding a stable vocation ; 80 percent of respondents in one survey said they felt they ’d work on at four company max throughout their entire career [ sources : Fallon , White House ] .
1: Millennials Are All Alike
Just as not all Irishmen , player or Protestants or dog - lovers are alike , every generation is filled with member who remember and play outside the stereotype , as well as those who adjust to them . This holds reliable for millennials as well . More than a few credibly do n’t care about married couple , are happy to live with the kinfolk indefinitely and feel the world must revolve around them . Others are independent , ambitious and can get the job done without constant praise . ( Did you lie with one in 10 millennials makes over $ 100,000 [ source : DeMonte ] ? )
Yet we can still impute sure principles to them as a group . Half of all millennials , for model , do n’t key out with either political party . More than 80 percentage are affirmative about their financial future , despite coming of long time during a terrible economic meter . And here ’s one stat that wo n’t surprise you : 55 pct have snapped a " selfie " and post it on a social media site – a far higher percentage than even those in the relatively immature Generation X [ source : Pew Research Center ] .
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I gave parturition to three millennials , and I can tell you from personal experience that you certainly ca n’t stereotype this generation . Unless it ’s to say that millennials are really awesome people !
