WASHINGTON — It is now the biggest generation in America — yes, bigger than the Baby Boom. The Facebook-connected millennial generation, ages 18 to 36, already has had an impact on American politics and now is shaping America’s future.
The impact of millennials will displace Baby Boomers’ long-standing social, economic and cultural dominance over the past 50 years, says Quentin Kidd, director of the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.
“This is the biggest generation that this country has ever had,” he says.
“They are going to have an enormous impact as they mature. They are going to do things differently than the way we’ve been doing them. But they care fundamentally about the same things that we all do,” such as better jobs, good schools and safe communities.
A survey by the Wason Center reveals the perceptions of Virginia millennials on topics such as where they are in their lives, what issues are important and their economic lives.
The study finds millennials feel like they are playing catchup after the Great Recession of 2008-2009 took a financial bite out of their lives. And they are feeling stressed by the weak economy that greeted them as they graduated into adulthood and continues to affect them.
“They’re not happy about the jobs situation,” Kidd says, but they remain optimistic — even though they don’t believe job prospects in the future will be any better. Seventy-one percent say job opportunities over the next five years will be about the same.
The study shows they are less religious than generations that have gone before them, and they don’t care much for political parties.
He says this is part of a national trend.
“They don’t see politics as a primary way to solve problems. They see community engagement and volunteering as a more meaningful way to solve problems.”
Kidd says the generation is by and large rejecting institutions, be they institutionalized religious denominations or institutionalized political parties.
“I really think that’s what’s going on: a rejection of institutions as much as anything else,” he says.
Millennials are not attracted to traditional news sources, the study finds. Virginia millennials get their current events, lifestyle news and information from a variety of sources, but social media platforms dominate.
“Facebook is the most common source for millennials, with 28 percent getting their news this way,” Kidd says.
Nearly two-thirds say they are considering moving, especially to Northern Virginia, in the next five years, Kidd says. He says about 45 percent of those who said they would move would move to Northern Virginia, which they see as being “where the action is economically.”
The survey questioned 2,004 Virginia millennials between July 20, 2015 and Aug. 4, 2015. Kidd says the goal of the report is to better understand impact they will have on Virginia.
