Kelyn Struiksma | Contributing Writer
The differences among generations and why there is a disconnect between age groups regarding major issues such as politics, religion and education are merely battles in a larger fight one might call a “culture war.” Generations in every time period are influenced by cultural, societal and historical distinguishers, including movements, wars, economic prosperity, technological advancements, religious demonstrations and rebellious protests.
“I think the reason it can feel like a culture war is because millennials do have all this extra information available, and we have seen some of the mistakes that our past generations … made and we kind of want to reconcile that,” says senior social science major Melissa Neal. “Millennials aren’t afraid to say to the older generations that they are wrong and it can disrespectful to the older generations, but I think that it comes from a good intention and place, trying to make this world as good of a place it can be for everybody.”
Generations
The silent generation, also referred to as elders, are born between 1925 and 1942 and grew up during World War II. They are often described as “rule-followers” who just missed the hippie, summer lovin’ teenage years.
Baby boomers, now 50-71, were born during a time of economic prosperity and were active in protests, specifically the Vietnam War and civil rights movement. They were the generation of Beach Boys, Beatles and bell-bottom jeans.
Emily Griesinger, an English professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Honors College, identifies with this generation, describing it as an age of “rebellion against authority – family, government, church – and we talked a lot about freedom, peace and love. We talked less about responsibility and consequences, however.”
Opposing the prior age group, Generation X members were inspired by their leaders and not interested in rebellion. They are often referred to as the “MTV generation,” as they were influenced by the increase in music videos and new genres. Those in Generation X grew up during major historical events such as Watergate, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Rodney King incident.
This age group did not want to be defined by a stereotype; therefore, those who are now 35- to 59-year-olds were given the name “Generation X-ers.”
“The millennial generation is an interesting beast,” says senior theology major Drew Brown. “We are independent in technology, but very dependent when it comes to relationships.”
The youngest age group is Generation Z, or the iGeneration, and little is known or reported about those born within the 20th century. However, much more attention is spent understanding today’s teenagers and young adults who were born between 1980 and 2000, the millennial generation. This younger age group is distinct primarily due to the effects of the increase in advancements and dependency on technology.
“The ‘boomers’ made a lot of noise, to be sure,” says Griesinger. “Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were always yelling about something. But we could turn it off. Millennials seem unable or unwilling to unplug even for a nanosecond.”
Millennials challenge many standards established by past generations, primarily due to the rise of technology in the past couple of decades. This advancement seems to influence the perspectives of those in younger generations, particularly regarding their political views, religious ideals and their educational perspectives in relation to the realities of their future.
Politics
Although the millennial generation may in some ways offer more than what other generations have in the past, it is essential that 18- to 35-year-olds learn from their elders and care more about where they actually live, because locality is important, says Neal.
“We [as millennials] think big-picture,” explains Neal. “The local government is what represents us in the federal government. We are so focused on the big picture rather than what affects us on a day-to-day basis.”
The Barna Group, a private, nonpartisan group that conducts and analyzes primary research regarding cultural trends, values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, found in a recent study that patriotism still runs strong in most Americans, as more than half of all adults say being a citizen makes up a large portion of their personal identity (52 percent) along with other defining factors including family, faith, race, career and location. However, four out of every five elders say that being an American makes up a lot of their personal identity and only one-third of millennials say the same. Patriotism is the strongest personal identity for silents and baby boomers, unlike gen-Xers and millennials, who find family to be the greatest influencer.
The older generations, particularly the elders and baby boomers, grew up in time when support of the United States’ vision was absolutely necessary. It was the first time the country had been involved in world affairs such as the two World Wars and civil rights movement, and people during this era trusted their country based on its founding principles because there was hardly any access to political information for civilians.
Pew Research found in 2011, at the start of the most recent presidential election, that older adults believe America is the greatest country in the world and have a negative view toward the country’s future, while younger age groups are less convinced of the greatness of the U.S. but are comfortable with where it seems to be headed.
“I think for millennials, it’s a lot harder to support decisions like [the elders did], especially with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, because we see all of the distractions and the civilian casualties and we have the numbers,” says Neal. “I think it is hard to have that information and yet still be supportive of the government’s decisions.”
Neal also presses the idea that millennials are less likely to become politically involved because of pressure by older generations to participate.
Over the past 25 years, silents and boomers have been the most critical of the government’s actions, according to Pew Research in 2011. The study also shows a surprising increase in millennials, who had been the most supportive generation of government performance until recently, as 51 percent believe the government is usually “inefficient and wasteful,” compared with the former 31 percent in 2003.
Religion
“I believe we are the first generation to have the world at our fingertips but not want it,” says Brown. “I believe many of us would trade the world for a few deep friendships in which we are known and we are privileged to know others. “
Though a theological framework, Brown defines the millennial generation as becoming increasingly experimental. From his experience and studies, the younger generations are focusing less on “convincing” people about Christianity by scientifically proving their point and are instead putting more energy into showing others their Christian experience.
The younger the generation, the more post-Christian or secular it is, found a 2014 study by Barna. Nearly half of millennials (48 percent) qualify as post-Christian compared with the 40 percent of gen-Xers, 35 percent of boomers and 28 percent of elders.
Neal explains this secularization of generations as young adults being “less willing to take any strong stance against any issues, which would explain why millennials tend to be more secular, because we are more open to everyone’s way of life.”
Millennials emphasize social justice issues, not wanting to offend others, but instead desire to be neutral, politically correct and ensure that no one is experiencing prejudice.
It has also been reported that people are increasingly likely to read the Bible for comfort to help them address life’s questions. This is particularly true of millennials, who are the leading generation when it comes to wanting to know how the Bible connects to everyday life matters like parenting, finances and the workplace, according to the Barna study “Secularization on the Rise.”
The religious direction of America and where the country is headed are neither positive nor negative, but rather “different,” says Brown.
Boomers, remembered for their rebellious nature, were influenced by religion and a part of the time of the “Age of Aquarius” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
“I fell in love with the Jesus people, their coffee shops, rock bands, cross jewelry and beads,” reflects Griesinger. “This Christian sub-culture had an important influence on the generation of Christians who ‘came of age’ during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Mostly, it offered a way to resist the drug culture while rebelling as Christians against our parents’ ideas.”
Brown sees a shift from a liberal approach with regard to church and believes it to be moving toward a more traditional and community-focused style of worship. This thought is rooted in his belief that millennials desire experience and relationship more than the information that is readily available suggests, explaining how home churches are seemingly beginning to take precedence over the most recent trend of non-denominational traditions.
Another study conducted by Barna in March found that the majority of millennials would describe their vision of an ideal church as classic, quiet, casual and modern, while also having strong community and a sanctuary, opposed to being private, trendy, loud and dignified.
Although millennials generally (60 percent) do not want a traditional worshipping environment, their vision of being in a classic, quiet sanctuary actually leans toward a more old-fashioned way of practicing religion, corresponding to Brown’s perspective of the religious future of the church being more intentional.
“It’s tempting to oversimplify the relationship between Millennials and sacred space,” writes Clint Jenkin, lead designer of the study and vice president of research at Barna Group, in response to these findings. “For instance, it might be easy to believe such a place needs to look ultra-modern or chic to appeal to teens and young adults. But the reality, like so much about this generation, is more complicated – refreshingly so. Most Millennials don’t look for a church facility that caters to the whims of pop-culture, they want a community that calls them to a deeper meaning.”
Education and the future
After 25 years of serving on faculty at APU, Griesinger is encouraged by how the majority of millennials are “serious about academics and eager to pursue knowledge, wisdom and truth across disciplines.”
However, she also sees weaknesses in the younger generation with its lack of depth in specific fields and an insufficient engagement of “Christian intellectual tradition.”
In a recent Barna study, it was reported that 47 percent of millennials would strongly agree their degree was worth the cost and time, showing over half of the graduates in this age group are not completely satisfied with their higher-education experience. Further, only about one-third of millennials believe universities “have my best interests at heart,” but that’s nearly twice as many of those in generation X and four times the rate of baby boomers.
According to Griesinger, the undergraduate degree has never been enough to obtain higher-paying “dream jobs,” and institutions, particular educators, have the ability to do more to help students when it comes their futures and creating opportunity.
Slowly, education has been made a priority for younger adults. Millennials are the best-educated generation in history, as 34 percent have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to Pew Research. In comparison, only 13 percent of 25- to 32-year-olds in 1965 (the silent generation) received higher education, which increased to 24 percent for baby boomers in the 1970s and 1980s.
Higher education is not only becoming more of a necessity for hopeful employees but actually is shown to give better benefits to graduates. Overall, Pew Research finds through a survey and an economic analysis that college graduates, regardless of age demographics, are more successful than those with less or no education.
As information increases, so are the skills necessary in the professional world. Older generations proved themselves not necessarily by education, but rather by their hard work, dedication and commitment, and younger adults today need to show their degree to have more merit in the professional field.
“Liberal arts degrees are really great because they offer students the chance to study what they are passionate about rather than specific skills and competencies needed for a specific work environment,” says Brown. “I think higher education will also adapt as the economic environment is adapting to offer a wide variety of education focused on passions and competencies rather than employability [by] … specific skill sets.”
Millennials are not interested in just any job, but want the right position right away because of their time and energy spent on higher education, unlike past generations who generally made responsible practical decisions regarding their futures.
“I think a lot of that comes from seeing other people’s stories that were high school or college dropouts and then founded these incredibly successful businesses or were able to really pursue what they wanted and it would work out for them,” says junior social science major Melissa Neal. “[Millennials] want to hear about people who were really able to follow their dreams and make it work without having to put a lot of effort in, and I think millennials want it to be the easiest version it can be.”
Parents of millennials tend to be more aware and concerned with the degree-to-job disparity even as the young adults are optimistic about their futures: 52 percent believe in five years they can achieve their dream job.
“We see the world as a smaller place where things are more attainable, and we are able to dream bigger because things are so much more accessible to us and so much more available and we have so many more opportunities,” says Neal.
Millennials, however, have been raised by parents and teachers encouraging the thought to be “whatever you want to be,” which many critics see translated as expectant, flippant and pompous attitudes among the younger generation.
“My generation is so different because we have a world of information at our fingertips, and life easily becomes a buffet in which we can’t settle on what item we want to commit to,” says Brown. “We are all in line at Golden Corral and refuse to make a decision, whereas our parents or the baby boomers are content to get a good dose of IBM and stick with it the rest of their lives.”
Brown continues: “We are not content with the same thing. We want variety because we have been given variety online. We are indecisive, but we are also passionate. This generation looks at the world with an optimism but fails to have the stick-to-it-iveness that the generations before us had.”