In an ongoing effort to represent the authentic voice of teens and young adults, The N launched the second phase of its national research campaign, The Millennial Values research study.
The N kicked off the second phase of its national study at the Spring Awakening & Degrassi Live Verbal Mash-Up, a one-hour open discussion with teens, Monday at Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theater in New York.
More than 500 teens participated in the live town hall and were asked to answer poll questions via mobile phone about pressure, self-esteem, identity and love. The results will be incorporated into the larger Millennial Values study.
The nighttime network for teens’ Millennial Values research study is an ongoing, anonymous, national online study to uncover the values, attitudes and beliefs of the Millennial generation. Issues such as personal safety, stress and belief in the “American Dream” ranked high among teens today, as well as other issues including religious beliefs and familial relationships.
Phase one of the two-phase study was conducted last year and incorporated six focus groups and a quantitative survey with more than 1,500 young Americans 13-24, representative of the United States by ethnicity. Respondents were recruited via e-mail and hyperlinked to a Web site to participate in the 25-minute, private survey.
Phase two of the study will include exit polling at the New York event, polling on the network’s Web sites -- The-N.com and Quizilla -- and the networks’ Teens Everywhere mobile research panel.
The key findings from the Millennial Values study were:
• The No. 1 issue that concerns the Millennials was their personal safety (81%). Crime and violence, terrorism and the war in Iraq ranked high among their concerns. These issues ranked above the economy and the environment and far above other “popular” social issues.
• Nearly one-half of all young people felt that their stress level was “very high” or “high.” Young Americans also believe they are dealing with a more competitive, stressful and complicated world than their parents’ generation. The greatest source of stress was their future, including pressure to get into a good college, to get a good job and to make money.
• The American Dream is alive and well. Two out of three young Americans believe America is the land of opportunity and anyone can be successful regardless of their background.
• Millennials exhibited a mixture of traditional and progressive values and described their generation as more open-minded and tolerant than previous generations.
• Millennials have low generational self-esteem. Almost one-half surveyed described their own generation as “lazy” and “materialistic.” And while more than one-third described their generation as “self-absorbed,” less than one-quarter believed they were “socially conscious.”
• Millennials exhibited strong familial relationships and bonds. Seven out of 10 were “satisfied” with their family life, while three out of four placed a high degree of importance on being close to their parents and siblings.
• Religion was important to about 50% of the Millennials, with one in three claiming that it was “very” important and more than one-half saying it was “very” or “somewhat” important.
