Millennials: The Nation’s Most Dogged Optimists

Most adults, when asked the difference between millennials and Gen X, would say that millennials are more self-centered. They have been described as a ‘me generation’, always needing constant gratification and attention. Time Magazine even featured a cover article called “The Me Me Me Generation! Millennials are Lazy, Entitled, Narcissists”(Is it narcissistic if I get offended by that because I think millennilas are awesome?).

The Pew Research center wasn’t satisfied either with settling on a word like ‘narcissistic’ to describe this growing generation (and neither should you, quite frankly) so they interviewed about 50 million millennials to gain deeper insight into what makes the generation of 20-35 year olds tick.

Their findings offer a new perspective on what it means to ‘be millennial”.

They found that millennials are not attached to wealth. Many would rather make less in a job they love than make more in a job they don’t have a passion for. They value making a difference over making money, with many college grads applying for Peace Corps and Teach for America rather than heading for Wall Street. They are much more health conscious, choosing naturally raised organic meat and produce. As this NYT Article points out, “these habits and tastes look less like narcissism than communalism”. Highlighting popular millennilas like Lebron James, Brandon Stanton (writer of Humans of New York blog), and many more, the NYT exemplifies how millennials are not narcissistic, but empathetic.

Read the insightful article here and let us know what you think!