[Thirteeners] sense that they are the clean-up crew, that their role in history will be sacrificial—that whatever comeuppance America has to face, they'll bear more than their share of the burden. It's a new twist, and not a happy one, on the American Dream (Howe and Strauss 1992).
To many people in older generations, today's teens and twenty-somethings have the look of new barbarians. Wearing ball caps askew and rigged with Sony Walkmans, these young people appear to be hedonistic creatures destined to remain interminably adolescent (Howe and Strauss 1992). According to pundits, they are driven more by appetites than ideas, incapable of performing academically in school, and ill-suited for the workplace of the global economy.
The Thirteenth Generation, so labeled by William Strauss and Neil Howe, partly for its lack of luck and partly because it is the 13th to know the American nation and flag, suffers from what Ellen Goodman labeled “youth bashing.” Members are variously referred to as “lost,“ “ruined,” “wasted,” and the “numb and dumb generation”(Strauss and Howe 1991). These young people were attending school in 1983 when the A Nation At Risk report told of a “rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people” (National Commmission on Excellence in Education 1983).
Educational authorities seem to relish officially documenting our youngsters' perceived ignorance. For example, Diane Ravitch and Chester Finn asked, “How much do our 17-year-olds know?” and reported, “not very much” (1987). When researchers eventually examined the cultural literacy of American adults—great surprise, they didn't know any more than the kids. This prompted USA Today to ask rhetorically in a cover story, “Are we a nation of nitwits?” (Manning 1989).
So, young people, we are told, are gearing up to be punished down the road. Annual polls of high school seniors show that those born after 1960 are much more fearful of national catastrophe than those born just before. Today's teens arrive at college to find that tuition and housing costs are racing ahead of the rate of inflation, and they exit college (increasingly without a degree) to find a sagging job market. Whereas young people in earlier generations felt assured that their standard of living would exceed their parents, today's 20-year-olds encounter the reverse.
What Students Believe
Franklin [High] is a caring place, but the kids worry Horace. Many are lively, well intentioned, and adept at cranking out acceptable test scores, but they are without the habits of serious thought, respectful skepticism, and curiosity about much of what lies beyond their immediate lives (Sizer 1992, p.1).
During December 1993 and January 1994, The Gallup Organization conducted the National Youth Survey: Attitudes Regarding Society, Education, and Adulthood for Junior Achievement, Inc. The survey results are based on telephone interviews with a sample of 630 children and teenagers, ages 10–17. Including pre-adolescent, middle-grade students along with high school students, the survey reveals optimistic attitudes yet an emerging seriousness of purpose and waning of confidence as young people mature.
- Responsible citizenship,
- The world of work, and
- A moral and aesthetic order.
From this, we developed a series of questions that clustered into five categories: (1) Image of American Institutions, (2) Commitment to Building a Good Society, (3) Career Aspirations and Vocational Opportunities, (4) Attitudes Toward Schooling, and (5) Sense of Purpose and Meaning in Life.
Image of American Institutions
Based on the survey, young people exhibit modest confidence in U.S. institutions, though some fare much better than others. No doubt, their views reflect that of the general population. As Robert Bellah and his associates explain, “Individualistic Americans fear that institutions impinge on their freedom.... Yet if this is our only conception of institutions, we have a very impoverished idea of our common life” (1991, p.10).
When asked, “How much confidence do you have in the following institutions?” the clear favorites are religion (66 percent—a “great deal” or “quite a lot”) and public schools (64 percent). The military (54 percent), professional sports (50 percent), federal government (48 percent), and Congress (42 percent) are somewhat less respected. Advocates who see big business (38 percent) and television (28 percent) as avenues to inspire the young will be disappointed with these findings (see fig. 1).
Figure 1. Percent of Students Expressing Confidence in American Institutions
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table1
Great Deal | Quite a Lot | Some | Very Little | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | 37 | 29 | 24 | 9 |
| Public schools | 36 | 28 | 27 | 9 |
| Military | 25 | 29 | 32 | 12 |
| Professional sports | 25 | 25 | 33 | 17 |
| Federal government | 21 | 27 | 36 | 14 |
| Congress | 19 | 23 | 37 | 19 |
| Newspaper and news magazines | 17 | 23 | 43 | 16 |
| Big business | 15 | 23 | 46 | 14 |
| Television | 12 | 16 | 43 | 28 |
The work of churches and schools is more tangible and closer to the lives of 10- to 17-year-olds, which likely accounts for students' sanguine appraisals of them. Confidence in institutions is generally lower for high school students (14- to 17-year-olds) than for those in the middle grades (10- to 13-year-olds). This is strikingly so for their view of public schools.
In contrast, young people's views toward government are more cynical. And big business encounters an even harsher assessment. Students, who confront the grit of life in schools and on the streets daily, have little reason to understand work in the remote settings of corporate offices and boardrooms. Robert Bellah and colleagues point out that in our modern political economy, the operations of large corporations and government structures take place “`over the heads' of citizens and beyond their control,” making a mockery of a fundamental principle of political philosophy: government by the consent of the governed (1991, p. 266).
Favored Role Models
Young people look toward their parents, teachers, and religious leaders as role models. Figure 2 shows that 9 out of 10 (94 percent) report that they hold their parents in high regard. Teachers rank second with 78 percent of students rating them as “very important” role models, and half the students (50 percent) claim the same for religious leaders. Despite the social scientists' fascination with adolescent rebellion and the growing reports of unmanageable students in classrooms, American kids appear to be close to both their parents and teachers.
Figure 2. Percent of Students Saying Role Models Are “Very Important”
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table2
AGE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | 10-13 | 14-17 | |
| Your parents | 94 | 92 | 94 | 95 | 91 |
| Your teachers | 78 | 70 | 86 | 80 | 75 |
| Religious leaders | 50 | 47 | 54 | 54 | 47 |
| Political leaders | 35 | 33 | 37 | 42 | 27 |
| Professional athletes | 31 | 40 | 22 | 39 | 23 |
| Business people | 29 | 26 | 32 | 29 | 28 |
| Skilled craftspeople | 24 | 27 | 21 | 26 | 21 |
| Musicians | 19 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 20 |
| Actors and actresses | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 12 |
Interestingly, today's students do not perceive business people as worthy role models; only 29 percent rate them “very important.” Other findings, as we'll examine later, reveal that young people expect to have rewarding careers in management and the professions. Again, the apparent mystery that surrounds the work of large corporate enterprises is reflected in this finding. Nevertheless, young people have even less regard for skilled craftspeople, whom they see at work regularly. This is sobering news for a society that depends heavily on proficient workers to keep its homes and buildings repaired, machines running, and economic infrastructure sound.
Commitment to Building a Good Society
Young people are socially conscious, according to their personal testimony (see fig. 3). Asked to evaluate the importance of the United States achieving several social goals, all but one—providing more entertainment—are rated by the majority as very important. With the details of violence in the news daily, it's little wonder that 9 in 10 (91 percent) rate reducing crime “very important.”
Figure 3. Percent of Students Rating Goals for the United States “Very Important”
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table3
AGE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | 10-13 | 14-17 | |
| Reduce crime | 91 | 92 | 91 | 90 | 92 |
| Support education | 91 | 89 | 93 | 92 | 89 |
| Help the homeless | 87 | 84 | 90 | 92 | 82 |
| Have jobs for all who want to work | 83 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 83 |
| Provide health care to everyone | 81 | 78 | 84 | 84 | 78 |
| Protect the wilderness | 79 | 80 | 78 | 86 | 72 |
| End racial problems | 78 | 77 | 79 | 71 | 86 |
| Create a pleaCreate a pleasant living environmentantliving environment | 78 | 76 | 80 | 83 | 73 |
| Do away with greed | 61 | 46 | 56 | 50 | 51 |
| Provide more entertainment | 16 | 19 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
Yet, supporting education (91 percent) is seen as equally important as creating a safer society, while helping the homeless (87 percent) and eradicating unemployment (83 percent) are nearly as crucial. This perspective generally holds across age levels, though we see somewhat less compassion for the homeless with high school juniors and seniors. And, it's noteworthy that four out of five surveyed strongly favor universal health care (81 percent).
When the researchers looked at whom young people see as important to a good society, only teachers and scientists are seen as “very important” by a majority (86 percent and 76 percent, respectively). About 4 in 10 rate those in business (44 percent) or politics (43 percent) “very important” for realizing the good society. Fewer (37 percent) rate those in the arts or journalism as “very important.” People in the entertainment industry, for example, professional athletes (27 percent), movie makers (16 percent), and rock musicians (10 percent) are least likely to be rated important to achieving this goal (see fig. 4).
Figure 4. Percent of Students Saying These Groups “Very Important” for a Good Society
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table4
AGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 10–13 | 14–17 | |
| Schoolteachers | 86 | 86 | 87 |
| Scientists | 76 | 79 | 73 |
| Business owners and managers | 44 | 43 | 45 |
| Politicians | 43 | 45 | 41 |
| Writers, artists, and poets | 37 | 38 | 36 |
| Journalists | 37 | 39 | 35 |
| Professional athletes | 27 | 31 | 23 |
| Moviemakers | 16 | 15 | 16 |
| Rock musicians | 10 | 8 | 11 |
American culture places much value on education, and the more the better. Since the Enlightenment, and particularly during this century, science and scientists have been hailed as agents of progress. It is true that writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians are an eclectic lot, but the young don't appear able to distinguish their entertainment value from their potential to help create a moral and artistic culture.
Career Aspirations and Opportunities
The National Youth Survey also asked students what kind of work they expect to be doing at age 30. Most young people (54 percent) believe they will be in a professional career, excluding non-college teaching. Another 9 percent expect to teach in elementary or high school. Young women are five times (15 percent versus 3 percent) as likely to aspire to a career in teaching as young men.
Optimism is a theme that runs throughout the views of young Americans. Of those 63 percent who covet professional and managerial positions, 3 out of 10 (30 percent) expect to have a doctoral degree in such fields as medicine, law, and liberal arts. While precisely the same percentage of women and men (54 percent) believe they will occupy professional jobs, young women (38 percent) are far more likely than young men (16 percent) to say they eventually will hold a doctor's degree.
Another 7 percent of our 10- to 17-year-olds say that their chosen vocation will be in the studio or performing arts, 4 percent expect to be in the protective services; 3 percent service workers; and 3 percent managers or administrators in the public sector. Only 2 percent plan to learn a skilled craft. As John W. Gardner observed, “A society that scorns excellence in plumbing because it is a humble activity and tolerates mediocrity in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have both bad plumbing and philosophy. Neither its pipes nor theories will hold water.”
Our researchers also asked, “How sure are you that you will have a promising future and be able to control your life?” Nine out of 10 report that they are at least “somewhat sure,” and 55 percent say “very sure” of a promising future. Contrary to the popular wisdom on gender equity, the survey found that young women (58 percent) are more likely than are young men (51 percent) to feel so efficacious (see fig. 5).
Figure 5. Percent of Students Expressing Confidence in the Future
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table5
Very Sure | Somewhat Sure | Not Too Sure | Not At All Sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 36 | 7 | 2 | |
| Male | 51 | 40 | 7 | 2 |
| Female | 58 | 32 | 8 | 2 |
| AGE | ||||
| 10-11 | 52 | 33 | 12 | 2 |
| 12-13 | 50 | 41 | 8 | 1 |
| 14-15 | 54 | 40 | 4 | 2 |
| 16-17 | 64 | 30 | 5 | 1 |
When asked, “How well off financially do you expect to be as an adult compared to your family?” young people remain predictably confident (see fig. 6). Four out of 10 expect to do better than their parents, while most (57 percent) expect to be as well off as their parents. Virtually none (less than 1 percent) of the secondary school students surveyed anticipate being worse off than their parents. Ironically, this economic optimism steadily increases from pre-adolescence to young adulthood. Those ages 10–11 surveyed are less likely (30 percent) to believe they eventually will surpass their parents financially than the 16- to 17-year-olds (54 percent).
Figure 6. Percent of Students Comparing Their Financial Expectations to Parents'
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table6
Better Off Financially | Worse Financially | About The Same | Don't Know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 42 | 0 | 57 | 1 |
| AGE | ||||
| 10-11 | 30 | 0 | 69 | 1 |
| 12-13 | 39 | 0 | 61 | 0 |
| 14-15 | 46 | 1 | 53 | 0 |
| 16-17 | 54 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
Not surprisingly, young people view higher education as the key to professional and financial rewards. Eighty-two percent say they plan to enter a college or university. Only small numbers of those surveyed desire to enter work training (4 percent), seek a job immediately (6 percent), or enter the armed forces (4 percent). In reality, closer to 50 percent of U.S. high school graduates will attend college, with approximately one-half of those eventually receiving a bachelor's degree.
The enthusiasm and optimism of American secondary students approaches personal deception and naiveté. In part, this likely explains the anxiety, angst, and cynicism many twentysomethings exhibit when the struggle of life in the post-affluent American economy settles in.
Attitudes Toward Schooling
The findings in this section present the most striking challenge to common perceptions of young people and our school system. The surveyors first asked how well students feel school prepares them for a variety of life events, such as to obtain a high-skilled job and succeed in the business world.
Another question examined how well young people thought school subjects were preparing them for the life they wanted to lead as adults. This second query was designed with two lists: one for students in grades 8–12, and the other for those in grades 5–7. Given their high aspirations, many believe they are being well prepared by their schools to reach their goals.
Value of schooling. A majority (52 percent) feel that they receive “a great deal” of preparation to obtain a high-skilled job. When the “quite a bit” responses are included, three-quarters of the respondents give their schools high marks. Similar findings hold for how well schools prepare students to succeed in the business world.
Young people also think school prepares them to maintain a healthy lifestyle (44 percent and 63 percent), understand public issues (40 percent and 63 percent), and use free time creatively (39 percent and 60 percent). Students give their school low marks in preparing them to manage a household and raise children. Both girls and boys tend to evaluate their preparation in the same way. However, the waning of optimism and confidence with age emerges as a discernible trend in various areas of the survey.
Value of school subjects. The older students are most positive about their mathematics and English preparation—a majority (56 percent and 52 percent, respectively) feel these subjects have helped a great deal to prepare them for life (see fig. 7). Perhaps not surprisingly, more boys than girls evaluate math training highly, while more girls rate their English education highly.
Figure 7. Percent of Students in Grades 8–12 Saying These Subjects Prepare Them for Life “A Great Deal”
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table7
Total | Male | Female | 8th–9th grades | 10th–12th grades | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math (arithmetic) | 56 | 60 | 52 | 59 | 53 |
| English (language arts) | 52 | 46 | 58 | 52 | 52 |
| Science | 43 | 44 | 42 | 42 | 44 |
| Business education | 40 | 39 | 41 | 41 | 39 |
| Health | 36 | 30 | 41 | 40 | 31 |
| History or social studies | 35 | 35 | 36 | 39 | 32 |
| Economics | 33 | 28 | 39 | 32 | 34 |
| Vocational/echnical | 30 | 34 | 26 | 28 | 32 |
| Physical education | 29 | 36 | 22 | 35 | 24 |
| Foreign language | 20 | 19 | 34 | 25 | 27 |
| Art, music, or theater | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| Homemaking and consumer issues | 19 | 13 | 25 | 21 | 16 |
Approximately 4 in 10 say their science courses solidly help to prepare them for life. Students are about as high on business education (40 percent). As other studies corroborate, the social studies fare less well; only about a third of the students say that they receive a great deal of preparation in history or social studies (35 percent) and economics (33 percent).
Overall, younger students praise their academic preparation even more, particularly for math or arithmetic. Again, the social studies are rated lower than the other core subjects. However, the gender difference hardly exists for these middle-grade students.
Sense of Purpose and Meaning in Life
A social conscience, respect for elders, high aspirations, and optimism are all characteristics that seem to describe who today's young really are. Add to this list—altruism.
The National Youth Survey asked students how important various qualities are to their life's work (see fig. 8). More than 8 in 10 (85 percent) put the ability to help others at the top of their list. In addition, about three in four consider having people look up to them (74 percent) and improving their community (72 percent) very important. Most youngsters also consider being creative in their work (56 percent) or serving the nation through work (54 percent) very important.
Figure 8. Percent of Students Rating Work Characteristic “Very Important”
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table8
Total | Male | Female | 10-13 | 14-17 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helping others | 85 | 78 | 1 | 88 | 80 |
| Having people respect and look up to you | 74 | 73 | 75 | 7 | 78 |
| Improving your community | 72 | 69 | 76 | 76 | 68 |
| Being creative | 56 | 58 | 54 | 54 | 58 |
| Serving the nation | 54 | 50 | 57 | 60 | 47 |
| Making a lot of money | 42 | 45 | 38 | 39 | 45 |
| Achieveing craftsmanship at a trade | 31 | 37 | 25 | 30 | 32 |
Only 42 percent consider making a lot of money very important. And at the bottom of their list rests achieving craftsmanship at a trade. Conceivably, our young respondents interpreted craftsmanship more narrowly than intended. They seem to view this concept of quality as appropriate to skilled, blue-collar work but not to the so-called professions, such as medicine, law, and engineering.
Finally, we wanted to know what young people like to do in their free time, hoping this question might provide insights into their values. Playing sports (42 percent), reading (28 percent), and being with friends (22 percent) are top choices. But, boys (55 percent) are much more likely than girls (29 percent) to favor sports, while the reverse is true for reading (39 percent and 16 percent, respectively).
Interestingly, nearly one in six puts drawing (15 percent) next on the list, but young people relegated watching TV (12 percent), listening to music (8 percent), and playing video games (7 percent) lower than might be expected (see fig. 9).
Figure 9. Percent of Students Rating Activities They Most Like To Do in Their Free Time
Special Topic / What Young People Think about School and Society - table9
Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play sports | 42 | 55 | 29 |
| Read a book | 28 | 16 | 39 |
| Be with friends/family | 22 | 18 | 26 |
| Draw | 15 | 20 | 10 |
| Watch TV | 12 | 14 | 10 |
| Listen to music | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Play video games | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| Do homework | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Talk on the phone | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| Bicycle | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Write/write stories | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Play musical instrument | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Do volunteer work | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Do computer work | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Play (non-specific) | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Hunt | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Build things (non-specific) | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Help family (non-specific) | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dance | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Go shopping/go to the mall | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Sing | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Swim | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Do art | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Go to a movie | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Work | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Play with pet | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Horseback ride | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Exercise | 2 | 1 | 2 |
In Retrospect
Americans tend to see growing up as acquiring rights and freedoms (driving, drinking, earning, and spending), while the Japanese see growing up as becoming “shakaijin”—a member of society, taking on responsibilities and duties.
The findings of this National Youth Study ought to make us suspicious of, if not dispel, the notion that our culture is nourishing a Generation X of renegades. At least, our subjects don't assess themselves as such.
According to our background data, however, American students don't work hard in school. We did find that 50 percent of the juniors and seniors in our study work for pay after school or on weekends. On the average, those employed work 15 hours a week. No doubt, the nonchalance toward academics is a result of both the persuasion of modern culture and the modest expectations most schools place on students.
In part, the distractions of American youth are related to the abundance they see displayed in society, the pervasive entertainment industry, and the relatively affordable technology available to them. The importance young people place on material goods, wealth, and prestige comes through clearly in their choice of role models and career expectations. American youngsters expect to lead prosperous, rewarding lives; less certain is their understanding of what it takes to accomplish this. If most are anything like generations that preceded them, reality and responsibilities will set in during the next decade or two. With this will come families to support, steady jobs, mortgages, insurance policies, and retirement plans.
The respect, confidence, even admiration American teenagers show toward their parents is gratifying, though our optimism should be guarded. Other evidence suggests that young people today have few viable adult models between the extremes of highly visible media stars and family members. They sense that they are inheriting an economic culture increasingly defined by a remote and bureaucratic corporate environment and a disintegrating community life. Teenagers no longer know those people who manage our companies, organizations, and government agencies. As a result, they have few heroes except those they see on television or live with.
A final lesson on the good health and spirits of today's youth is suggested by this survey. American parents want their children to be well-rounded and enjoy life. For this, they are willing to invest substantial sums of money and time driving them around to participate in sports, be entertained, and see the countryside. By and large, parents today are not eager for their children to be too studious. Nor do they want them to assume prematurely the toil of adulthood. Unlike the way it is for children in other industrial cultures, life, inside and outside the classroom, is expected to be fun.
In response, American schools and teachers have become proficient at organizing informal classrooms, designing stimulating curriculums, and employing imaginative teaching methods. Perhaps above all else, public schools are a place where socialization is omnipresent. As a result, students generally enjoy school and come away with inventive, enterprising, and upbeat attitudes. The downside, of course, is that in many schools, learning is seldom in-depth and the expectations of students are minimal. Aside from occasional grim classrooms, joy and spontaneity reign.
