Identify The Biggest Differences In Public Opinion Between Millennials And Older Generations

Baby boomers and millennials, are they oil & water or two peas in a pod? There have been large shifts in society and culture between when the baby boomers were born (1946-1964) and when the millennials were born (1981-1996). There are many factors that have influenced and molded each of these two generations such as technology, trends, debt and economy. Who exactly are millennials and baby boomers? What I know emphatically is that they both have strong opinions of one another. The Baby Boomers were promised the American Dream; they worked hard and are perceived as greedy and ambitious. Baby Boomers are “Perhaps the most influential generation in history, this “flower power” generation is known for their pivotal roles in the civil

In American politics, public opinion is mostly a latent force that typically has no important bearing on national decision making unless citizens become unusually attentive to politics. Many citizens are uninformed, which leads to inconsistent opinions. In Tides of Consent, there are many factors that shift public opinion. Some changes are fast and responsive, such as spikes in presidential approval, and some changes are slow, and occur in increments that may be overlooked. Public opinion in American politics is meaningless individually, but aggregately, public opinion is meaningful.

Today, the workforce is made up of many different generations, which is affecting and effectively changing the workplace culture as a whole. The major generational differences between millennials and baby boomers can be either positive or negative depending on whom you ask. Boomers may categorize millennials as lazy and entitled, while millennials may call themselves innovative. No matter what they call themselves or each other, they all have to work together now as simply as that. This topic has sparked a lot of discussion as to how it’s best for each generation to act and deal with their other generational coworkers.

In Eric Hoover’s article, The Millennial Muddle, he describes how stereotyping and trying to understand students has become a major industry, especially with Millennials, since there are different adaptations and interpretations of this generation. It contains the different opinions from people who have studied this generation. Researchers try to figure out who Millennials are, how they think, why they always do what they do, and in those propositions and findings find them to contradict one another. Hoover then states that “in other words, they’re all different. But just for fun, let’s stereotype them as smart, successful, and lull of shakeable opinions.” Hoover does not deny these findings to be contradictory of what Millennials truly are.

In “Do America’s Changing Demographics Impact Politics?”, Michele Norris mentions that there is a huge contrast between the aging, white baby boom generation that refuses to pay taxes to fund government services, and the majority minority (millennial) generation who is interested in public investment and services in education, health care, and infrastructure. Why is the millennial generation

“I have studies! I have statistics!” (par. 20) claims Joel Stein, a regular contributor for the TIME magazine. In “The New Greatest Generation: Why Millennials Will Save Us All,” Stein writes about the millennials, people born between 1980 and 2000. Using a very clever gimmick, he points out the unfavorable features of millennials at the beginning of his article, just to create a stronger rebuttal afterwards. He claims that the “millennials’ self-involvement is more a continuation of a trend than a revolutionary break from previous generations… [and] they’ve just mutated to adapt to their environment” (Stein par. 14). By utilizing rhetorical devices and various writing approaches, Joel Stein attempts to persuade the older generations to reconsider their opinion of millennials and presents his claim that the millennials inherited their characteristics from previous generations and have adapted to their environment.

One of these defining differences is evident when analyzing which political party each generation predominantly identifies with. Because of this difference between generations, people also manufacture assumptions and stereotypes for their counterparts’ political values. In line with assumptions, older generations lean towards conservatism while younger generations lean towards liberalism; however, despite the assumed differences, all generations value political moderation to some degree.

“If you don’t think generation makes a difference, think of this example. When asked to recall how and where Kennedy died, the Veterans and Baby Boomers would say gunshots in Dallas, Texas; Generation X remembers a plane crash near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; and Milinials might say, “Kennedy who?” (FDUMagazine Online, p. 2) Each individual generation brings different values and skills to the table, but the pronounced differences can cause conflict within the workplace. Bill Brennan’s “Generational Differences” discusses the generational differences between the four main groups, or generations, of the United States; Veterans (born before 1945), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Millennials, Gen Y, (born between 1980 and 1994). Through his depiction,

The endorsement of individual rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness and freedom of speech in the United States has allowed American society to revere and admire individualism over collectivism. Each new generation is more inclined to favor such conceptualizations, which are inherent in U.S. constitutional design. By the same token, the emergence of youth culture, for example, might be a product of emphasizing the role of individuals rather than the society as a whole. In this manner, generational decline is viewed as a prominent issue in American society because of the roles they ought to assume later in life.

Lastly, the baby boomers held very different cultural values compared their parents. Many think of the boomer generation as hippies and rebels. However, this generation was even more split than their parent’s generation. A larger percentage of the boomer generation was in favor of the Vietnam War compared to their parents. This interesting fact is important because this is still evident in today’s society.

I see a younger generation such as “Net Gens” to use slang in certain friend groups. For example speaking to someone my age who is 20, I would use the term “sick” and people around my age would understand in a certain context it is viewed as a good thing meaning cool. Using that term with majority of people who are 40+ would view it as being sick rather than the other way. Another communication difference is revolving around technology. Many Baby Boomers and Gen X wouldn’t prefer texting or using social media apps comparing to Millennials and Net Gens. Millennials and Net Gens can easily communicate through the internet with social media, texting, or any form of communication that requires internet. The other two generations would probably call each other and won’t be too familiar with the internet. I see people stop having sex around the age of 47-60 years old. I view people sex drives to reduce and when people get older they get more

The division between generations is dramatic in the UK. Kelly (2016) from BBC News interviewed a Millennial Remain supporter Elizabeth Mayfield. She said: “I'm annoyed that baby boomers have messed things up for us again. They've voted for something that's not going to really affect them. They're not going to have to deal with the consequences." Most Millennials have the same view as her that the Brexit would ruin the whole future of this new generation, as well as the country.

Since the American government serves the citizens, the government acts in the interest of the population and public opinion is often used as a judgment for the quality of the government. Many Americans are either poorly informed about politics or simply do not associate themselves much with the political world, though, so they lack the knowledge to form meaningful opinions on government action. Still, some citizens do care and pay attention to politics. These are the Americans who can provide meaningful answers to questions dealing with what they think about the government. As a whole, these are the people that make up the American public opinion. When looked at as an aggregate whole, the opinions of the

Broadly speaking, public opinion is an aggregate reading of the population's views and attitudes on a given issue. It is affected by a range of factors, from demographics like income, race, age, gender, and level of education, to external influences like the media and voices of cultural and political leaders. While strong leaders play a role in shaping public opinion, they are also shaped by it, like the captain of a ship adjusting to the changing direction of the wind. An ability to drive and adapt to shifts in public opinion is one of the most important skills to cultivate as you prepare for a career in public administration.

As long as there are new people being born in the United States and technology continues to grow, there will always be controversy between the older generation and the younger generation. The younger generation will always be seen as ignorant and as being the dumbest generation because these youth minds have not yet reached their full potential. However, this pushes American society and culture to become more advanced and will forever push change upon the American