What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades?

What do today’s Youth expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings about the youth of today.

Youth: Defined as the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It generally refers to individuals from the ages of 14 to 20.

I grew up in the 1960’s, a contentious time when the youth took to the streets for what appeared to be years on end to protest the Vietnam War, the military draft, civil rights, voting rights, government leaders, music, and so many other issues. It was an exciting time of challenges and change. Remembering those times, I wondered what the youth of today were doing and saying about the future. It wasn’t obvious to me.

While the youth of today are not noticeably protesting that often in the streets, that doesn’t mean they aren’t actively out there protesting about the many major issues and challenges facing them, e.g. overpopulation, climate change, endless wars, terrorism, inequality, affordable housing, and so much more. In the ‘Information Age’ of the 21^st Century, they are out there protesting and marching forward on the Internet, their ‘smartphones’, and social media sites.

So let’s take a look at what concerns them and what they want to see happen over the coming decades. A good starting point was to search and review observations and findings posted in a series of recent articles, blogs, and studies readily available on the Internet.

Selected Articles & Reports

According to the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs, in a world where climate change wreaks havoc on our economies, societies and environment, where unemployment and inequalities are rampant, and where trust in international cooperation is falling, what do today’s youth believe the future holds for them? Read The Generation that can Change the World – If we let them and the World Youth Report

In a recent IPSOS poll conducted in 15 countries, they found that young people around the world are generally more optimistic about the future than older generations. Despite facing much higher unemployment rates, more instability and lower wages than their predecessors, today’s youth are entering adulthood confident that they can build a better future for themselves and for those that follow. That’s good news.

According to the 2018 IPSOS global poll -

• When it comes to policy priorities - ending poverty (33%), improving education (31%), and access to jobs (27%) are the top Sustainable Development Goals for leaders to focus on worldwide according to today’s youth.
• In higher income countries, climate change, gender equality, and ending conflicts are also major priorities.
• Youth in low and middle-income countries also choose promoting health, economic fairness, and ending hunger as major priorities.
• Around half of females around the world think life is better for men and boys than for women and girls.

In the United States (US), the 2018 poll found that -

• US youth are more optimistic than adults about the future of their country (Adults 56%, youth 64%) and the future of the world (Adults 51%, youth 63%).
• US youth are 14% more likely than their adult peers to say that their future living conditions will be better.
• US youth are the happiest higher income country when asked about the impact that their government has on their lives.
• 45% of US youth say that they are knowledgeable about politics and government.
• In the US, youth are more likely than adults to say that they can make a difference in how their country is governed, by a margin of 14 percentage points (adults 35%, youth 49%).
• 78% of youth in the US say that all people in their country have basic human rights (78%).
• Only 7% of US youth say that religion has the most positive impact on their lives.
• 59% of youth in the US agree that climate change poses a significant threat to their community.

From a Youth Activism movement driving climate action, to an organization expanding digital literacy among young people, to a global youth network for gender equality and reproductive rights. Young people everywhere appear to be stepping in where they believe previous generations have failed.

A group of teenagers in the US has filed a lawsuit claiming that the planet and its natural resources may have been “so profoundly damaged” that the “plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty” are threatened. The science is clear: at its current pace, climate change may irreversibly break the sustainable limits of our planet, leaving generations that are yet to be born to deal with the disastrous consequences. The issue with future generations is that they have no seat at the table to claim and defend their rights. Read The Future is Becoming a Burden on the Young

This is no 'Me Me Me' Generation

It turns out that today’s youth are not a cohort of ‘screenagers’, ‘enfeebled youngsters’ and ‘couch potatoes’, as some older adults believe. As the first generation to grow up alongside always-on social media and smartphones, today’s young people are actually busy bringing about significant changes in social, cultural, business practices, and political behavior across the world. Read about Gen Z - Out to Change the World

Young people are not marching in the streets as much as they are communicating, raising and discussing the major issues of the day in massive online communities that the older generations are not necessarily plugged into. They are discussing and coming up with creative new ideas and innovative solutions for the 21^st century with regards to such areas as:

Voting Rights Citizenship & Government Population Control Literacy & Education Universal Healthcare Online Retail Industry Transportation Systems Nationalism vs. Globalism International Relations Space Exploration & Settlements

Climate Change Clean Alternative Energy Civility & Ethical Behavior Social & Financial Equality Augmented & Virtual Reality Technology Robotics & Artificial Intelligence 4th Generation Manufacturing 21st Century Jobs & Knowledge Workers Agriculture & World Hunger Warfare, Terrorism & Trade Wars

* You might want to also check out the following resources for yourself - IPSOS 2018 Report, EYE2020 Reports, UN World Youth Report, and the Summerton Blog.