Twenty-three percent of Americans are dependent and needy.
At least that’s what popular culture leads us to believe.
According to Pew Research Center, this 23 percent consists of 75.4 million Americans who are millennials and therefore receive the negative reputation that comes with this label.
Often, this reputation stems from the views of older generations.
“People my age tend to believe stereotypes like that millennials think things should just come to them; they think things like high-level jobs, housing, and money will be given to them by families or other support systems,” said Robert Tsuchiyama, the Carlmont math department chair who has taught many millennials.
Despite these generalizations, some millennials claim that they don’t see themselves as needy and have proven to be self-sufficient in their adult lives.
“I wouldn’t classify myself, or my friends, as needy. I moved across the country, as did most of my friends, and that takes a certain level of self-reliance and motivation,” said Greg Koberger, who was born in 1988.
Researchers found that stereotypes of millennials create a bad reputation for the generation but are not supported by legitimate facts.
Clark University's Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., researches emerging adulthood and often sees employers mismanage, misunderstand, and discriminate against millennials, according to the American Psychological Association.
“There is such a negative view in our society of this age group, that they are lazy or don’t work hard, and yet there is not evidence of it whatsoever,” said Arnett.
Many believe that differences between the stereotypical millennial, as seen by other generations, and the real millennial are caused by the differences in the world that millennials grew up in compared to the world that other generations grew up in.
“Millennials’ struggles have to do with the circumstances that they deal with now. People who grew up in the past didn’t have to go through the same things, so they don’t see the hard work that millennials put in. For example, when I was in high school, it did not take much to get into the top colleges-- the Berkeleys and the UCLAs. You needed very little as long as you were just a good student; you didn’t need a 4.0 GPA or anything close to that. For millennial students, things might have been given to them more, but they have to earn so much more to get the same thing. To me, it evens out,” said Tsuchiyama.
According to some millennials, stereotypes made by older generations are based on circumstances of the past and unfairly judge the younger generation.
“I feel like the odds are much more stacked against us than other generations. For our parents, a decent, unskilled labor job could easily support a spouse and kids. Now, many parents both work full time and barely scrape by. The housing market was ruined by the previous generation, and college is about 20 times more expensive than it was for our parents. Baby boomers are also living and working longer, which means there are fewer jobs for young people entering the job market,” said Koberger. “I don't think millennials are necessarily needy; the rules have just changed.”
Some millennials acknowledge these stereotypes about their generation and have identified possible reasons for the generalization.
“I do have some friends that aren't quite self-sufficient and still rely on their parents. However, I’m not sure if this classifies the whole generation as dependent on others,” said Faraaz Nishtar, who was born in 1993.
However, other millennials agree with Koberger and believe that much of the stereotypical millennial neediness stems from an economic deficit that is the fault of other generations.
“Many millennials graduated into the worst recession since The Great Depression and were left with no choice but to get support from their parents or take loans out to go back to school. That probably played a role in being characterized as ‘needy,’” said Nishtar.
Whether they’re living at home, borrowing money, or in need of a job, millennials may not be as needy as the stereotypes suggest when circumstances are taken into account.
“I think older generations look down on millennials because they take our actions out of context. It's easy for them to look down on us without realizing how different the situation is from theirs,” said Koberger.
The Highlander, November 2017
At least that’s what popular culture leads us to believe.
According to Pew Research Center, this 23 percent consists of 75.4 million Americans who are millennials and therefore receive the negative reputation that comes with this label.
Often, this reputation stems from the views of older generations.
“People my age tend to believe stereotypes like that millennials think things should just come to them; they think things like high-level jobs, housing, and money will be given to them by families or other support systems,” said Robert Tsuchiyama, the Carlmont math department chair who has taught many millennials.
Despite these generalizations, some millennials claim that they don’t see themselves as needy and have proven to be self-sufficient in their adult lives.
“I wouldn’t classify myself, or my friends, as needy. I moved across the country, as did most of my friends, and that takes a certain level of self-reliance and motivation,” said Greg Koberger, who was born in 1988.
Researchers found that stereotypes of millennials create a bad reputation for the generation but are not supported by legitimate facts.
Clark University's Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., researches emerging adulthood and often sees employers mismanage, misunderstand, and discriminate against millennials, according to the American Psychological Association.
“There is such a negative view in our society of this age group, that they are lazy or don’t work hard, and yet there is not evidence of it whatsoever,” said Arnett.
Many believe that differences between the stereotypical millennial, as seen by other generations, and the real millennial are caused by the differences in the world that millennials grew up in compared to the world that other generations grew up in.
“Millennials’ struggles have to do with the circumstances that they deal with now. People who grew up in the past didn’t have to go through the same things, so they don’t see the hard work that millennials put in. For example, when I was in high school, it did not take much to get into the top colleges-- the Berkeleys and the UCLAs. You needed very little as long as you were just a good student; you didn’t need a 4.0 GPA or anything close to that. For millennial students, things might have been given to them more, but they have to earn so much more to get the same thing. To me, it evens out,” said Tsuchiyama.
According to some millennials, stereotypes made by older generations are based on circumstances of the past and unfairly judge the younger generation.
“I feel like the odds are much more stacked against us than other generations. For our parents, a decent, unskilled labor job could easily support a spouse and kids. Now, many parents both work full time and barely scrape by. The housing market was ruined by the previous generation, and college is about 20 times more expensive than it was for our parents. Baby boomers are also living and working longer, which means there are fewer jobs for young people entering the job market,” said Koberger. “I don't think millennials are necessarily needy; the rules have just changed.”
Some millennials acknowledge these stereotypes about their generation and have identified possible reasons for the generalization.
“I do have some friends that aren't quite self-sufficient and still rely on their parents. However, I’m not sure if this classifies the whole generation as dependent on others,” said Faraaz Nishtar, who was born in 1993.
However, other millennials agree with Koberger and believe that much of the stereotypical millennial neediness stems from an economic deficit that is the fault of other generations.
“Many millennials graduated into the worst recession since The Great Depression and were left with no choice but to get support from their parents or take loans out to go back to school. That probably played a role in being characterized as ‘needy,’” said Nishtar.
Whether they’re living at home, borrowing money, or in need of a job, millennials may not be as needy as the stereotypes suggest when circumstances are taken into account.
“I think older generations look down on millennials because they take our actions out of context. It's easy for them to look down on us without realizing how different the situation is from theirs,” said Koberger.
The Highlander, November 2017