Thaindian News

Washington, March 15 (IANS) Young people today are more fixated on money, fame and self-aggrandizement, rather than serving the society or the community, according to a study.

“Popular views of the millennial generation, born in the 1980s and 1990s, as more caring, community-oriented and politically engaged than previous generations are largely incorrect,” said Jean Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University, who led the study.

This is particularly so “when compared to baby boomers and Generation X at the same age,” said Twenge, who also authored a book: “Generation Me,” the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reports.

“This data show that recent generations are less likely to embrace community mindedness and are focusing more on money, image and fame,” added Twenge, according to a San Diego statement.

The findings did show that millennials were more likely than baby boomers or Generation Xers to volunteer during high school. However, the authors contend that this may have been related to schools’ requiring community service for graduation, which has been cited in numerous studies.

The desire to save the environment, an area considered to be of particular concern to millennials, showed some of the largest declines, with three times as many millennials as baby boomers at the same age saying they made no personal effort to help the environment.

Fifty-one percent of millennials said they made an effort to cut down on electricity use to save energy, compared to 68 percent of boomers in the 1970s.

Twenge and her colleagues analyzed data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study of high school seniors, conducted continuously since 1975, and the American Freshman survey by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute of entering college students since 1966.