Do
in
God?
Millenials
trust
Or are they moving further and further away
from religion altogether?
Although each millennial interviewed had diverse backgrounds, their answers were practically identical. They trusted science primarily because they believe it is the only thing built entirely on fact.
"Science is the only legitimate source we can rely on for facts," Diamond, a 21-year old from Maryland said. "The media, they give out false information, we know the government does that, and also religion too."
Twenty-three year old Gus from Columbia had a difficult time choosing any of the institutions listed.
"If I were to have to choose one, I would pick science…ok…but I don’t particularly trust any of those things," Gus said. “They are all specifically tailored to give you either what you want to hear, or put you in the position of control that you want to be in.”
Eager to compare results with those completed by Harvard, Pew and other prestigious organizations, a man-on-the-street experiment at Capitol Hill began.
Given four institutions to choose from (media, science, government, and religion), a millennial interviewee explained which institution he or she trusted the most.
Not surprisingly, science proved to be the most-trusted institution.
What
Millenials
trust?
institutions do
'Millennials don’t trust anyone.’
This phrase seems to dominate the branding of America’s portion of society who ranges from 18-29 years of age. Today, the media pesters this specific group of young people with broad, generalizing labels.
Sometimes millennials are revered as the most driven and hardworking generation society has ever seen.
Columnist Terri Klass agrees with this idea in her article titled, Characteristics of Millennials in the Workplace.
“Millennials tend to display an abundance of self-confidence and believe they are highly valuable to any organization from day one. They are extremely focused on developing themselves and thrive on learning new job skills, always setting new challenges to achieve,” Klass said.
However, too often are millennials the subject of complaint in society. In a Times article titled, The Me Me Me Generation, contributor Joel Stein grumbles about the rising generation.
“Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents,” Stein said.
Whether the young people deserve to be commended or condemned, the media will no doubt continue to highlight millennials through simplified stereotypes. [See Cooper Review art below:]
However, all general labels set aside, research supports one noticeable pattern seen among millennials: the lack of trust in traditional institutions.
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One Millennial boldly shares his opinion about having Political or Religious discussions.
The
D.C.
experiment
Washington
According to Harvard poll research, millennials are wary towards religious organizations, government, media, and other people.
“In the mid-1980s, when baby boomers were coming of age, about a third of high school seniors agreed that ‘most people can be trusted.’ That dropped to 18 percent in the early 1990s for Gen Xers—and then, in 2012, to just 16 percent of Millennials,” research concluded.
A Pew survey also found that the young people today are especially becoming distrustful of faith-based institutions.
How does
BYU
compare?
“Half of this generation call themselves independents, while over a quarter say they have no religious affiliation. These findings are at or near the highest levels of political and religious disaffiliation recorded for any generation in the quarter-century that the Pew Research Center has been polling on these topics,” Pew stated.
One young man visiting Capitol Hill in D.C. perfectly captures the attitude many millennials feel towards "institutions." When asked to share his opinion about current political issues, he declined to answer.
One young man visiting Capitol Hill in D.C. perfectly captures the attitude many millennials feel towards "institutions." When asked to share his opinion about current political issues, he declined to answer.
"In all honesty I try to avoid political conversation at all cost. Because nothing ever good comes from politics or talking about religion as well," he said.
A diverse group of Millennials at Capitol Hill explain which Institution they Trust the most.
The Millennial Agenda experiment at Capitol Hill suggested millennials in the D.C. area trusted science over anything else. But what are the opinions at BYU? Known for being one of the most conservative universities in the country, would the young Mormon generation follow the millennial trends too?
The identical experiment performed in D.C. was also conducted on BYU's campus. Out of media, science, government and religion, most students said they trusted religion over anything else.
Board used during the interviews in D.C.
When asked which institution they valued the most, only a couple of the interviewed millennials answered 'religion.'
George, a 25-year old from Michigan, said that religion and science were the two institutions he trusted as well as valued.
"I feel like they are more concrete. Religion is more of a core thing, and science is more of a proven thing," George said.
Similarly, 27-year old Falone from London, England, shared how important faith has been in her life.
"Religion is something that has always been brought up with me, since I was--you know, young," she said. "It’s something I can, like, lean back on whenever times are hard or when even things are going great.”
Some millennials, such as 23-year old Elliot from Texas, refused to talk about religion out of fear of offensiveness.
"And religion? I don’t even want to talk about religion and get a huge argument started, so I'm going to stick with science," Elliot said.
Compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X, people of the millennial generation don't view religion as an important part of life. (See graph below)
One BYU student shares his thoughts about Religion having pure Motives.
BYU freshman Margaux Lechner, an 18-year-old from Germany, said she trusted and valued religion because of modern-day prophets.
“I feel like the prophets and modern revelation gives us the real truth,” Lechner said.
Jake Baird, a 20-year old BYU student from Pleasant Grove, Utah, had a similar response.
“I feel like they [prophets] have the most knowledge to help me out in this life,” Baird said.
He also valued government.
“(The government)'s not perfect of course, but they’re the ones governing this great nation, " Baird said. "And it’s important to respect them and help them out the best we can."
BYU junior Freddy Tan, a 25-year-old student from the Philippines, said that his trust in religion stemmed from its overall motive.
“I believe it encompasses good. I don’t know if it encompasses more good than the others…but I think its motives are pure,” Tan concluded.
5 Ways To Break The Millennial Stereotype
Millennials are lazy. Wake up a little earlier than usual and make your bed. Cook breakfast for your mom and take out the garbage before anyone else does. Walk the dog. Just get off the couch and do something helpful!
Millennials are addicted to their phones. When you're on your next date, by all means refrain from using that addictive device. Leave your phone alone! Hold her hand instead.
Millennials are narcissistic. Ok...try not to take too many selfies. Show Grandma Grace how to use Snapchat. (Once they understand how fun it is, they won't judge as harshly).
Millennials need feedback for everything. Relax. Your boss' silence doesn't mean you are doing something drastically wrong. Just do your best at all times, and patiently wait. You'll get your comments eventually.
Millennials want 'special privileges.' You think you provide value? Well prove it! Stop trying to jump the gun. Focus on doing a good job first.Work hard and show everyone what you're worth.
Millennials get a bad rap. The stereotypes are definitely exaggerated...but maybe there is more truth to them than you are willing to admit. Let's try to change that.
Follow these tips to break the bad labels:
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According to Deloitte article, millennials are the ‘inclusive generation.’ As a whole, young people aren’t focusing on things that separate individuals. They are focusing on the things that bring people together. Organized religion, therefore, is not something millennials are dedicated to, unlike their parents or grandparents.