Rather than towing the party line that millennials and Generation Z are the ‘lazy’ or ‘soft’ generation, researchers behind a new report titled report titled Young Blood: The New Australia have done the leg work to better understand the two younger generations.
The report, of course, has found young people to be far more stable and switched-on than click-bait headlines from Boomer-biased media would have you believing.
Young Blood: The New Australia get into the weeds of the generation clash that contaminated the greater Australian discussion, engaging with 2,000 Australians between the ages of 18 and 30. The sample crowd were then asked about their opinions on ‘hot button’ topics from technology to immigration and alcohol.
Gareth Davies, managing partner of brand experience agency Amplify, who commissioned the report as per The New Daily, said the results boosted the signal of a generation that is largely “thoughtful, progressive and often misunderstood.”
Davis adds, “We firmly believe that this generation gets a hard time, from the legacy they’ve inherited to being described as ‘snowflakes’, ‘robots’ or ‘apathetic’.”
National identity was a big part of the report, with participants sharing their views on issues such as racism, Australia’s history and nationalistic figures.
As per the results, 1 in 5 young Australians believe the rest of the world views them as racist, despite not attributing the label to themselves. Furthermore, only 6% of those involved resonated with nationalistic figures such as Pauline Hanson and only 5% approving of Donald Trump.
Another interesting take away from the report is nearly 3/4 of Young Australians said it was important to have integrity and stand up for what you believe, even if that view is unconventional or unpopular.
The report also grabbled with the stereotype that younger generations are ‘tech obsessed’. 50% of participants feel as though older generations see them as ‘tech obsessed’ despite only 1 in 10 young Australian’s describing themselves in such a way, with most young people spending more money on rent, debt, clothes and eating out than they spend on technology.
Binge drinking, another perceived trait of the younger generations was also taken to task. 50% of young Australians interviewed for the report said they drank alcohol to relax and were indeed embarrassed by the conception that they were rampant drinkers.
And finally, the concept of a lazy, entitled generation. Just over half of participants believe that older generations see them as lazy, sentiments echoed by the report, which reads, “Unfortunately, one of the great global stereotypes of young people today is that they are lazy and entitled.”
The results were a stark contract, with most young Australian’s appreciating hard work, condemning cheating and see themselves as “hard working and environmentally conscious”.
There was a strong tone of anxiety and indeed straight up fear among young Australians interviewed for the report. 4 out of 10 express remorse for buying goods they don’t feel they need.
Just under half – 42% – are deeply concerned for their financial safety in the future with 43% of participants feeling powerless to challenge Government policies they don’t agree with.
The report paints a detailed portrait of the mind from the younger generations and provides some key insight into where our nation is heading with the next wave of decision makers. You can read the whole report here.
