Generation Gap Widening In US: Study

WASHINGTON — From cell phones and texting to religion and manners, younger and older Americans see the world differently, creating the largest generation gap since the tumultuous years of the 1960s and the culture clashes over Vietnam, civil rights and women's liberation.

A new study released Monday by the Pew Research Center found Americans of different ages increasingly at odds over a range of social and technological issues. It also highlights a widening age divide after last November's election, when 18- to 29-year-olds voted for Democrat Barack Obama by a 2-to-1 ratio.

Almost eight in 10 people believe there is a major difference in the point of view of younger people and older people today, according to the independent public opinion research group. That is the highest spread since 1969, when about 74 percent reported major differences in an era of generational conflicts over the Vietnam War and civil and women's rights. In contrast, just 60 percent in 1979 saw a generation gap.

Asked to identify where older and younger people differ most, 47 percent said social values and morality. People age 18 to 29 were more likely to report disagreements over lifestyle, views on family, relationships and dating, while older people cited differences in a sense of entitlement. Those in the middle-age groups also often pointed to a difference in manners.

Religion is a far bigger part of the lives of older adults. About two-thirds of people 65 and older said religion is very important to them, compared with just over half of those 30 to 49 and 44 percent of people 18 to 29.

In addition, among adults 65 and older, one-third said religion has grown more important to them over the course of their lives, while 4 percent said it has become less important and 60 percent said it has stayed the same.

"Around the notion of morality and work ethic, the differences in point of view are pretty much felt across the board," said Paul Taylor, director of the Pew Social and Demographic Trends Project. He cited a greater tolerance among younger people on cultural issues such as gay marriage and interracial relationships.

Still, he noted that the generation gap in 2009 seems to be more tepid in nature than it was in the 1960s, when younger people built a defiant counterculture in opposing the Vietnam War and demanding equal rights for women and minorities.

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"Today, it's more of a general outlook, a different point of view, a general set of moral values," Taylor said.

Among the study's other findings:

_Getting old isn't as bad as people believe in terms of health, but isn't as good when it comes to lifestyle. While more than half of those under 65 think they will experience memory loss when they are older, only one-quarter of people 65 and older say they do so. Older people reported fewer instances than expected of problems such as serious illness, not being able to drive, being less sexually active or depressed.

On the other hand, older adults end up having less leisure time than expected. While 87 percent of those under 65 think they will have more time for hobbies and other interests in older age, only 65 percent of older people report having it. Life at 65 and older also fell below expectations when it came to time with family, travel, having more financial security and less stress.

_Hispanics are more likely to report problems in old age. About 35 percent of Hispanics 65 and older say they have a serious illness, compared with 20 percent of whites and 22 percent of blacks in the same age group. More older Hispanics reported being depressed, lonely or a burden to others than did whites and blacks. They also were less likely to do volunteer work or be involved in their communities.

_Younger people are more likely to embrace technology. About 75 percent of adults 18 to 30 went online daily, compared with 40 percent of those 65 to 74 and about 16 percent for people 75 and older. The age gap widened over cell phones and text messaging. About 6 percent of those 65 and older used a cell phone for most or all of their calls; 11 percent sent or received text messages. That's compared with 64 percent of adults under 30 for cell phone use and 87 percent for texting.

_Americans differ on when old age begins. On average, they say 68. People under age 30 believe it begins at 60, while those 65 and older push the threshold to 74. Of all those surveyed, most said they wanted to live to 89.

Pew interviewed 2,969 adults by cell phone or landline from Feb. 23 to March 23. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. In cases where older persons were too ill or incapacitated, their adult children were interviewed. Pew also used surveys conducted by Gallup, CBS and The New York Times to identify trends since 1969.

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On the Net:

Pew Social and Demographic Trends: http://pewsocialtrends.org/

Comments

[Ohioan730]

The internet was something the 30-40 year olds didn't have for their entire childhood. Its a great outlet for expression and connecting with people. I think that's why my generation felt so isolated and cynical. We knew things were wrong but nobody heard our young voices back then. Its different now.

A lot of people my age were influenced by the Reagan years and spoiled and ruined by the greed that was glamorized and the emo ones became more cynical. Apathy was probably a more widespread sentiment than anything and people expressed it in different ways. I think the millenials may have stirred up some genXers and shamed us into getting more involved. They are the only hope I've seen in all my 30 something years of being let down by a string of scandalous leaders. I couldn't vote until 1992 and my votes against Bush didn't work but now we've got the kids on our side and they are fired up for change. Good on them. No matter who the president is, its up to the people now. Obama set a precedence for accountability and people are never going to go backwards from that or standing by silent while the govt gets away with scandal and illegal acts.

[gdatomic]

Didn't I see this article in 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 1985,... Change "telephone" for "text messaging" and voila --- a "new" article. I hate these inane studies.

So, we move along. There's really no news here.

HEADLINE BULLETIN: Young generations like to think they're entirely different (I did when I was there). With perspective, the truth is that when you're young your supposed to think that. But really, the differences are exceptionally slight in this study.

[SamKnause]

I turned 56 Friday. Friends, and family, my age act like they are 90 years old. They tell me I am old, and I tell them to speak for their selves, that I am not old. I still love to dance, I still love my music loud enough to rattle the windows, I still like sex all the time, I still identify with younger people and have more in common with them, I still feel young and act young. I am all for gay marriage, against forcing religion on people, for legalizing pot, and I don't think your job should define who you are, it's just what you do for a living. I guess that is why I get along with 30 and 40 year old people better then people my age.

[Lalita Amos]

I get the point you were trying to make, But using an age-based epithet...­well, I can't imagine how those special, bigotry-free children you claim to have raised survived you.

[rockyb26]

So far my generation's greatest contribution has been voting 2-1 for Barack Obama and getting him into the White House. Better yet, millennials are an integral part of his staff. His speechwriter is my age, 27, and his secretary is 28. We were his foot soldiers during the campaign, maintaining a huge network via texting and social networking sites. I look back on that time and am still proud of my peers for working so hard and achieving a worthy goal. I graduated in 1999, a product of 7 years of Clinton's education system, which IMHO was great. We entered college at the beginning of the internet boom and had no reason to believe we wouldn't get great jobs on the other side.

At the same time, I worry about the Bush kids, basically anyone who graduated high school after 2000. They are the victims of failing schools without arts and athletic programs, healthy lunches, and competent teachers. They are the ones who can't spell because they speak in text slang rather than english. They are the ones with abysmal graduation rates and no prospects for the future given our current lack of innovation and igenuity.

The struggling economy is bad for both groups because it causes our baby boomer parents to stay in their jobs longer which delays our entry into the workforce to replace them. When you consider the fact that the boomers far outnumber everyone else, this is a daunting prospect.

[mzrecycle]

I know that my kids dealt with issues in grade school/H.S­. I never had to. Rudeness, meanness, vicious retaliation were not part of my school experience.

I made a commitment to myself not to become techno-phobic as I got older. I saw my mother unable to operate the 5 disc CD player we gave her.

I've failed totally. I'm only 62, but falling behind fast. I've got a laptop, never off my desk. I don't own an Ipod, don't want one. Don't like those buds stuck in my ears. My cell phone is over 5yrs. old. I never learned to access messages. I only use it to call out, usually forget to turn it on. Have no interest in texting (don't really like to type). Have a good, up-to-date digital camera/video, so I don't want to take pictures with a phone. There are features on my cordless land line phone that I can't access. I've read the instruction manual for them, but I don't use them often enough to remember, so I don't use them. Have speed dial, husband put in numbers, but I don't ever use it.



I do love my Roomba, however. The fact that I can program it (haven't done that however) and it will zoom around and clean the floor, then find its way back to the charger is great!

[metricfan]

Liked the info about sampling!

[USA2Sense]

The biggest difference between the two generations is - the younger generation have NO manners, NO accountability, NO respect , and NO responsibility.

This is shown daily to us of the older generation - in blatant, defiant, arrogant - rudeness. It's sad!!!

[Theda]

Dear USA2Sense,
You sound like an old fogey! I'll bet your parents and their friends said the same thing about you and your friends when you were a teenager and in your early 20's.
As for me........­...those words you used----no manners, no respect, no responsibi­lity......­....I remember hearing them spoken about MY generation 30 years ago.

[ToddlerJ]

Right on Theda! You can grow old with grace, or you let your ego get in the way and grow bitter. I too heard those words spoken while growing up and now understand they are not generational, or even based in truth. They are just the misguided perceptions of one who chooses to live in the past.

[libwingoflibwing]

I"m a boomer and I must confess that as a teenager and young adult I didn't have much respect for the G.I. generation. Over time I have come to appreciate them a lot more, so generation gaps do diminish over time.

But then I find I get along with the younger generation really well. I feel like I"m multi-generational. In the 80s I was a youth pastor and have often felt like I am not only my own age of 54, graduating from High School in 1973, but that I'm also 41, graduating with the kids in my youth group in 1986, wasn't I in High School then? It feels like it. Then I went back to university in the early part of the Thousand-Ands and hung out with another young generation, resulting in me feeling like I am in someway 29 and graduate from university in 2002. Now I'm a children's mental health counselor and I'm sure in the future I'll feel like I must have graduated from High School when these kids do in 2015.

[MonkeyBusinessIU]

I think that as my generation (the Millennial Generation) ages, we'll be learning from our older siblings, our parents, and our grandparents, and the mistakes they made. Technology has advanced to the point where knowledge need no longer be lost between generations. The sum total of human history is available to us at the touch of a button, and I fully expect us to take advantage of it. Our interconnectedness through social networks and electronic devices will enable idea sharing on a level never before seen in history. Indeed, it will be my generation that ushers the world into a Second Renaissance, and with it the solutions to the problems those that came before us left us with.

[UpUpandAway]

agreed!

[max08]

Agree. But you need to guard against so much info being wiped from the web. You should get incensed about it. There are lots of groups who want to alter history so they are wiping out present history now, and doing the same with the Wayback Machine. Someone needs to protect digital public (news) files the instant they are put on the web. Allow for corrections, but ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO REMOVE THEM. If you dont, your knowledge of history is F****d.

I'm a Boomer. I have no patience with my age group.

[smileatfear]

There are more differences within the generations than between the generations. I'm kind of tired of the whole generation thing. Maybe it's from having grown up in the 60's and 70's where the generation gap was blamed for everything. Or maybe it's from having certain political and commerce groups pitting the generations against each other (social security vs. education funding, the sick elderly vs. the healthy young, come to mind.) We're all on a continuum and we all need to be there for each other during every phase of life. The old helping the young, the young helping the old. If you're 50, you're old to a 5 year old and you should be looking out for the 5 year olds in your community. If you're 50, you're young to a 90 year old, and you should be looking out for the 90 year olds in your community. And if your 50, the 15 year old should be offering to help carry your groceries and the 70 year old shouldn't resent paying some taxes to help pay for your kids to attend college.

It will be a great day when race, gender, and generation are not used to divide us.

[naschkatze]

So, the implication is that when this current young generation gets older, it too might turn to religion or at least "think" more spiritually or philosophically? I am of the Viet Nam/women's lib generation, and I think it is healthy that each new generation grow in its own way. As for technology, with me it's a matter of money. Here I am on the computer, but I have decided to draw the line at Blue Ray DVD technology: I have too many VHS tapes and DVDs which cannot be replaced, foreign films for example, and it would be too expensive to do so anyway.

[judiNJ]

I am well into being in the "older crowd" but am delighted to see where younger people are going with their beliefs and values; and it gives me hope that we will become a more progressive country after all.

[Theda]

The younger people in their early and mid-20's are more enlightened than my generation was nearly three decades ago.
My son (age 22) and his friends are very intelligent and don't have the prejudices, phobias and fears that I was raised with . In fact, they thought it was perfectly "normal" that both a black man and a woman were running for President of the U.S. They couldn't see what all the fuss was about.