I have recently been involved in a number of discussions with gen Xers+ focusing on “what you young people stand for”. It has been pointed out that each generation had a central theme of concern that ran through their lives. There was the second world war for my grandparents, which was about fighting for the empire, for commonwealth. My parents had Vietnam, and the ‘Peace, Love and Brown Rice’ movement. It was all about anti-establishment, counter-government. But what is it that I, and my peers, stand for?
Oldies might suggest that my generation (gen y) stands for very little. Some say it is Poverty (remember Make Poverty History). I tend to disagree on this one. While global poverty is indeed of major concern (Hugh Evans is fighting the good fight on this one with the Global Poverty Project) I don’t see these as primarily gen y concerns. Make Poverty History’s face was Bono from U2, who certainly isnt Gen Y. Global Poverty Project is supported by a huge number of big organisations (Google and Foundation For Young Australians just to name two), most of which are assisted or controlled by Gen X.
In my mind the one cause that young people are really connecting with is Green. In our personal lives, every day, I see my friends making choices to make themselves greener. My housemate recycles, I carbon-offset my car’s emissions, and all of us try and save water. Speaking with parents and friends of the Gen X demographic I continually note their lack of concern for the environment. Trees get cut, big cars get bought, and waste is ignored. In my local supermarket I did a little impromptu experiment. I stood at the checkouts and counted the proportion of people who brought their own bags instead of using disposable plastic ones. Guesstimating age, I counted 14 out of 20 Gen Yers with their own bags, while only 3 out of 12 Gen Xers did. I feel this stands as indicative of the differing interests of Gen X and Y.
Companies need to pay attention to this phenomena. Statistics show that half of all Gen Yers would pay more for green brands. How do companies accommodate this? Simple. Create products with minimal packaging and a proven environmental concern. By doing so you attract the large number of us GenYers that care.
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I couldn’t agree more! I am 19 and often talk with my friends about global warming and the environment. I think this is the number one issue for people my age.
My kids are always telling me not to waste water. They are still at school but are ever mindful about issues relating to nature.
Great post mate…I think it comes down to the fact that EVERYONE can have an impact!
Indeed Simon! Gen Y loves to be able to have a tangible role to play in a cause. I cant credibly impact upon world peace (that is up to the heads of state), but i can have a positive impact on the environment with my choice of transport and consumption.
This is right on the money, Matt. There is another aspect to the green attitude of Millennials and that is group think. Millennials are excellent at teamwork and collectivism, but they are also subject to over-simplifying problems. In this way they are very similar to the GI Generation (born 1901-1924) who overcame the Axis in WWII. That generation also had a severe case of group think which became more obvious after the war when they put together the shallow “American Dream” which their Boomer (born 1943-1960) kids later rebelled against.
I believe “green” will be held by the Millennials (Gen Y) in the same way as the American Dream was held by the GI’s: as a shallow ideal that your kids will eventually rebel against. For example, I can see that 30 years from now everyone will have a “carbon counter” on their phone, house, whatever, and they will measure their status by the number on that device. But, as their kids will probably point out, they won’t be any more connected to mother nature. And so the cycle continues.
Dave Sohigian
http://www.thegenxfiles.com
Interesting premise, although I think “Peace” was really more the Boomers’ thing, not Gen X’s.