Millennials: Success outside of control

Tuesday, February 10, 2015 - 11:51 YT&Twebzine

Failure to launch? A significant portion of the next generation says success is governed by forces outside their control.

We depend on the young to come into the public square with unfailing optimism and inexhaustible energy. But what if a significant portion of the next generation believes that they are fated and that success -- or failure -- is governed by forces outside of their control?

Indeed, many young people have apparently concluded that fate is the hunter. Roughly 37 percent of millennials in the United Kingdom and 43 percent of young Americans interviewed said success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside their control, according to a report by the Pew Research Center,a nonpartisan organization. Not only that, but:

63 percent of German and Italian millennials say success in life is "pretty much determined by forces outside of our control." In Greece and Poland, 62 percent of millennials agreed.
The numbers are lower in France, where 54 percent of the upcoming generation feels success is determined by forces outside their control. In Spain, 48 percent said the same.

      The term “millennial” --like “baby boomer” -- is defined in different ways. It is sometimes used to refer to people born after 1980. Thus a millennial, by definition, is 35 years old or younger. Pew defines the term as teens and 20-somethings coming of age politically, economically and socially in the new millennium. But it is also true that this generation has come of age during the worst economic crisis in decades.
      Even so, Americans are more likely to see themselves as masters of their fate, whereas Europeans view themselves as victims. Consider that 73 percent of American millennials say working hard is important to getting ahead in life; 58 percent say the same about getting a good education.
     Many Europeans are not so certain that education and work will make a difference. Pew points out that Germans have the reputation of being the hardest workers in Europe. But in this survey only 44 percent said working hard is important to getting ahead, and 46 percent thought education was important.
     In addition, only 27 percent of Greek, 21 percent of French and 36 percent of Polish millennials believe education is important to getting ahead.
     In related research, Pew reported that in 2013, the last year during which data was available, millennials accounted for 24 percent of the adult population in the 28-member European Union. In the U.S., this generation represented 27 percent of the adult population in 2014.

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