A New Voice -- Generation Next

Faith in the Public Square

Dr. Bob Cornwall

Published in the Lompoc Record

February 4, 2007

We've had the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and now we bid welcome to Generation Next (today's 18-25-year-olds).

Each generation has its distinguishing marks and quirks, and marketers want to know everything they can about these generational shifts as they guide the development of everything from food products to cars. Political parties and religious groups also want to look at this data so they can better connect with target audiences. Understanding how people think and act can make a big difference in how we relate to the world in which we live and plan for the future.

So who are these 18-25-year-olds who are coming of age at this moment in history? The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press offers some answers in a study released in January entitled A Portrait of “Generation Next: How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics.” In this study, we learn that this technologically savvy generation is more liberal, more tolerant, and less religious than previous generations. This is also a marked generation, by which I mean, they have marked themselves physically - half of them are sporting tattoos, piercings, or untraditionally-colored hair. (Click here to read the rest of the column)

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