11 Values Millennials Think Are Important But Mean Very Little To Older Generations
Unsurprisingly, millennials and older generations have quite a few differences, including in their values.
Maria Markevich | Shutterstock By now, we all know that the generational gap is a very real thing. Because of how they grew up and what differences existed in the world during their upbringings, younger and older generations have very different perspectives. This is true across the board — whether it's Gen Zers, millennials, Gen Xers, baby boomers, and even the silent generation.
One of the defining characteristics of millennials is their connection to technology, as they grew up alongside the rise of the internet and personal computers. But today, there are specific values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations, whether it's related to work, the environment, or mental health.
Here are 11 values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations
1. Left-leaning political beliefs
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One value that distinguishes millennials is their more left-leaning political views. Pew Research Center pointed out that millennials were key to Barack Obama's winning presidential campaign in 2008. Unlike previous generations that tended to lean on more conservative values, millennials are unafraid to speak their minds and share their hopes for a less traditional, conventional future.
Data gathered by Pew Research Center in 2019 concluded, "Among registered voters, 59% of millennials affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic, compared with about half of boomers and Gen Xers (48% each) and 43% of the silent generation." A significantly higher share of millennials consider themselves to be Democrats, or at least Democrat-leaning.
Older generations are stereotyped as being more conservative, but it seems that there may be some truthfulness to this idea. Far less think of themselves as Democrats than millennials do. In fact, a majority of millennials identify as Democrats. These left-leaning political views are evident in their voting patterns and even their day-to-day choices.
2. Diversity and inclusivity
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Another of the values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations is diversity and inclusivity, which goes hand-in-hand with their left-leaning political beliefs. Part of this is simply due to the fact that millennials happen to be a more diverse generation themselves.
The Brookings Institution pointed out that 55.8% of millennials identified as white while almost 30% were "'new minorities' (Hispanics, Asians and those identifying as two or more races)."
In addition to millennials being much more racially and ethnically diverse, Pew Research Center noted that millennial women are very involved in the workforce and not choosing to stay at home like women of previous generations.
Much like this acceptance of different races and genders, millennials are also known for being more accepting of various gender identities and orientations.
A study published in the journal Ethnicities described older generations as being "less tolerant," while younger generations are the opposite. This is certainly not a blanket statement that applies to everybody, but it's important to note that most young people tend to be more accepting and tolerant.
3. A purpose beyond work
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Older generations focused very heavily on work. In a lot of ways, it was their purpose. Things are different for millennials, who value work-life balance and want their life to be more meaningful beyond just what they do for work.
This is not to say that work is not important to them. A Deloitte survey found that 46% of millennials thought of work as "central to their identity." It just means they want more beyond work.
Evidencing this, 31% of millennial respondents said that work-life balance was the most important factor for them when choosing a job. It's also what they admire most in colleagues, instead of more conventional indicators of "success." Millennials want more from life than just work and they're not afraid to choose a job that allows them to have that.
4. Sustainability
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Millennials highly value sustainability and environmental friendliness much more than older generations. While there are certainly people from older generations who also find this important, it's a trait that's typically associated with younger generations.
For example, Pew Research Center listed millennials and Gen Zers as being particularly concerned about sustainability. They found that 31% of millennials felt that protecting the climate should be a "top priority," particularly for the Biden presidential administration which was just coming to power at the time the research was performed.
It's commonplace for older generations to just not really think about the well-being of the planet, while millennials keep it at the top of their minds. They want to do all they can to take care of the earth and keep it a healthy and happy place for future generations.
5. Individualism
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Each generation — and, by extension, person — has their own unique attributes that set them apart from others. For millennials, that uniqueness is ingrained in what makes them special. They prize individualism and seek to express it in all areas of their lives.
Clark University research professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett explained that young people are naturally more individualistic because of what their priorities are. He said, "I describe it as the self-focused time in life. I don't mean that they're selfish; I mean that they have fewer social rules and obligations — the freedom to be self-directed."
Millennials are all about self-expression and making themselves known for who they truly are. They value allowing each person to be who they are and live their truth, whatever that looks like. Where older generations may have been more conformist, millennials celebrate differences.
6. The importance of education
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One of the values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations is education. In fact, James Hawkins, writing for the Berkeley Initiative for Young Americans Democracy Policy Lab, noted that they were likely to become the most educated generation.
Pew Research Center described this as "a trend driven largely by the demands of a modern knowledge-based economy, but most likely accelerated in recent years by the millions of 20-somethings enrolling in graduate schools, colleges or community colleges in part because they can't find a job."
Education has always been important to people, and older generations don't necessarily not value it. However, there is something special about education for millennials. They see it as their ticket to a good job and prosperous life. These things were somewhat easier for older generations to come by even if they didn't pursue higher education because it wasn't as commonplace.
7. Caring for mental health
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Older generations quite honestly didn't have the luxury of taking the time to care about mental health. Very little was understood about mental health, and it was largely swept under the rug and ignored, or, worse, misdiagnosed and mistreated. Things are different for millennials, who live in a world where more is being discovered about mental health every day.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has taken notice. "Millennials are more likely to talk about mental health than their parents or grandparents," mental health advocate Jenny Marie wrote. "As more people speak out, the stigma surrounding mental illness is beginning to lessen."
Today, we live in a world that is generally much more understanding of mental health and mental illness. Millennials have benefitted from this. They have seen firsthand how important mental health advocacy is to ending the stigma around it and finding new treatments, and they are eager to do their part to help.
8. Collaboration
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Where older generations may have been happy working on their own, millennials value collaboration. They see this as a key part of their lives, touching everything from work to education to personal endeavors.
Writing for UC Berkeley, Demetrios Gianniris pointed out that this is likely due to millennials' comfort with social media. Because of that, they crave more social connection.
"In fact, millennials find tremendous comfort and fulfillment in leveraging these social interactions to seek constant support and reassurance," Gianniris said. "This is why most millennials prefer working in groups that offer a sense of unity and collaboration over division and competition."
In whatever kind of situation they happen to be in, millennials find themselves more comfortable working together. Group projects at school were never dreaded by them; instead, they were celebrated. Millennials prize the ability to collaborate and learn from others, whereas older generations don't see this as a priority.
9. The importance of technology
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Older generations definitely have technological skills that should not be overlooked, and many have adapted remarkably well to gadgets and innovations that are younger than they are. However, one of the values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations is technology, as millennials quite literally grew up as the internet was being invented.
They were responsible for creating social media themselves. Technology is just second nature to them. According to Nielson, "The millennial generation, also known as Generation Y, is the first to come of age with cable TV, the internet and cell phones, so technology is essentially baked into every millennial's DNA. In fact, when asked what makes their generation unique, millennials ranked 'technology use' first (24%)."
For millennials, technology is an integral part of life. They can't imagine going without it after they were raised alongside it. Older generations didn't grow up with technology the way millennials did, so it's not as important to them.
10. Not following organized religion
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Millennials have some unique ideas about religion. For older generations, religion is typically quite important. Who hasn't had the experience of going to church with their grandparents? While millennials may still worship, it seems that they do so differently than their predecessors.
Pew Research Center called millennials "the least overtly religious American generation in modern times." Twenty-five percent reported that they weren't connected to any religion, actually. This doesn't mean that they don't believe in a higher power, though. Pew Research Center added, "Millennials pray about as often as their elders did in their own youth."
Going to church and following some kind of schedule regarding religion may not be a priority for millennials, but that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their beliefs. It just shows that they view religion a bit differently.
11. Staying connected to previous generations
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Each generation has its outliers, and this doesn't mean that older generations just don't care about their elders. But holding onto a connection to previous generations is something that appears to be unique to Gen Y, and it's one of the values millennials think are important but mean very little to older generations.
They want to remain close to their parents and be respectful of those that came before them. Pew Research Center noted that most millennials had a good relationship with their parents and reported fighting less than their parents did with their grandparents. They are also more likely to continue living with their parents into adulthood, although the economy is partially to blame for that.
Pew Research Center continued, "They respect their elders. A majority say that the older generation is superior to the younger generation when it comes to moral values and work ethic."
Most people would claim to respect their elders, but millennials not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. Their relationships with generations that came before them is very important to them, and something they strive to nurture. Despite what some stereotypes may suggest, millennials are far from self-absorbed.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.