My one goal in this article is to shock you with the dirty “S” word. Are you ready? Here goes: STEREOTYPE! In today’s society, almost anything goes and keeping an open mind is almost a rule, but that dirty word still seems to dominate our thinking. I mean, lets be honest, there are more peace, love, and general hippie style vibes flying around these days than the 1970s ever saw. My parents’ “free-love” generation would be on open-minded overload in our freedom of everything society. However, despite our willingness to keep an open mind, we silly humans are still pretty stuck on holding on to our innate desire to put everyone and everything into a box.

Perhaps the easiest and most culturally acceptable form of stereotyping these days is generational; more specifically, the kind that pits my generation (Generation Y or The Millennials) against my parents generation (The Baby Boomers). However, when channeling my inner hippie, I have to ask: how different are we really? The answer might be surprising. So toss out your “lazy, Cheeto-eating, living on their parents couch, hipster, coffee swilling , smart a$$” idea of what you think my generation is all about and get ready to be surprised with 6 things you didn’t know about Millennials.

 

1) We Work…..Hard!

In the next 5 years Millennials will make up 40% of the workforce. As the largest generation, we will soon make up 100% of the workforce. Millennials are also working longer hours than most of our peers think…just at different times. Due to advances in technology and our willingness to use it, we are 37% more likely to engage in work outside of traditional business hours.

2) We’re Underestimated

This article from Rolling Stone says it all: 50 Things Millennials Have Never Heard Of. Perhaps me and 500 of my closest Facebook friends are just amazingly above average, but most of us have heard of more than 75% of Rolling Stone’s list. With greater access to technology comes greater understanding of the world around us; that means past, present, and future.

3) Diversity is Our Middle Name

Not only do we out-number all of the other generations by more than 10 million, we are also the most diverse group. For example: of the 76 million Baby Boomers, 72% are Caucasian, and of the 87 million millennials, 56% are Caucasian. Maybe the idea that we are carefree spirits stems from the fact that we kind of are when it comes to interpersonal relations. We are less likely to obsess over cultural differences and more likely to focus on things that really matter.

4) We’re in Debt up to Our Eyeballs!

Ok, so this one may not be that big of a shocker, but just how much in debt we are will knock your socks off. According to recent data, student loan debt has topped 1 trillion dollars! To put this in perspective, that’s more than all credit card and auto loan debts combined! In fact, student loan debt has increased by 43% from 2007. So perhaps the fact that 36% of us still live at home and 35% of us are receiving financial support from a family member has given rise to the idea that we are a bunch of lazy bones; in reality we are just fighting to keep our heads above water.

5) We Actually Do Care…Like A Lot!

In fact, we’re one of the most civic minded and philanthropic generations to date. Perhaps it stems from our focus on education and extra-curricular involvement, but Millennials are dedicated to environmental ethics and giving back. An impressive 56% of Millennials reported volunteering in the last year and 27% have tried to change local policies. Our dedication to ethic mindedness is also carrying over to, and making a big impact on, the business world. Surprisingly, 64% of Millennials are more brand-loyal, or as brand-loyal as their parents; however, a whopping 38% of Millennials will switch brands if a company is found to have bad business practices. Millennials actually admire a company’s story, values, and environmental impact more than their actual product.

6) We Out Hippie the Hippies

Our parents and grandparents generations can no longer claim a corner market on peace, love, acceptance, and free-thinking. Millennials are more inclined to be open minded and receptive to those around us (hey, maybe all those extra hours of learning to play nice with others in elementary school are finally paying off!). With 38% of us sporting visible tattoos and 23% with piercings, we are more comfortable putting aside expectations of how “normal” people should be. We’re also more likely to say “I don’t” than “I do.” With the importance of marriage on the decline and more millennials willing to live together and start families without the gold band, more than 30% of Millennial women will remain unmarried by age 40. That’s nearly twice the number of the generation before them. We’ve taken the hippie concepts and made them our own, without the questionable fashion choices.

Unfortunately, identifying the faulty stereotypes that effect any generation is only the first step in the battle. Now how do we reverse the damage and change minds?

 

 

Mills Properties