“Millennials? They live at home with their parents!”
“When I was their age, I had a job, spouse, and a car!”
“Young people today… these Millennials are just lazy.”
Those are comments I have heard in coffee shops, restaurants, and surprisingly in churches. Many of the people making such comments are Baby Boomers, who are known for experiencing historical gains in post-war job growth and increased standard of living. Frankly, it is disturbing for me as a young adult to hear such comments. As a younger Generation Xer or older Millennial pastor (depending on how you measure the generations) it is extremely vexing to hear negative comments about young people.
According to a new Pew Research study, the percentage of Millennials living at home with their parents nears 32%. Upon first glance, this reinforces the stereotype of the stay-at-home lazy Millennial. However, according to the same study, this is not the high watermark for young people living with their parents. Before World War II, between 30% to 40% of young women and men lived at home with parents. Post-war, the trend reversed with the economic and cultural prosperity of America. In 1960, we saw the lowest levels of young people staying at home at about 20%. The reality of this study points to fact that negative optics of Millennials who stay at home stem from a time when America had unparalleled economic growth and job availability. The macro factors that led to young people in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s to stand on their own two feet in the world are just not present today.
Look back 30 or 40 years ago, the breadwinner of the home could afford a house, car, and to send their children to college. Today, both parents must work in order to accomplish the same goals. Brendan Duke of the Center for American Progress found that Millennials earn about the same as their counterparts in 1984. That means wages for the average 30-year-old have remained flat for over 30 years despite the fact that Millennials are more likely than any generation to have a college degree. Coupled with unprecedented educational debt, it is no wonder why Millennials have a difficult time finding a good paying job, buying a car, or taking on a mortgage.
Churches are often bewildered at the cultural makeup of Millennials. If they show up to church, and that is a big “if”, they don’t look like a 30 year-old in 1984 with a spouse and 2.3 kids. Most likely, a Millennial showing up to church will live at home with their parents, cohabitate with a partner, or have a roommate. These circumstances are not by choice, but necessity.
The reality is that post-war America in the 1960’s was not the gold standard of American achievement. It was the exception. The cultural and economic gains of previous generations may never be matched. To put down Millennials and their lack of economic prowess is to totally ignore the circumstances of their generation: The Great Recession, The Housing Crisis, high educational debt, and stagnant wages. If you do not want to take into account economics, consider the demographic changes. According to economist Jed Kolko, the perception of increased home dwelling with parents among Millennials is entirely due to demographic shifts.
When shopping for a product, my dad used said to me that I have to compare apples to apples and not apples to oranges. He meant I had to accurately compare products in light of differences. When we compare Millennials with other generations it is an apple to orange comparison. With Millennials and their inability to behave like other generations, it not a simply problem of laziness. It is a problem of unfair and unequal comparisons.
Alan Rudnick is an American Baptist minister, author, Th.D. student, and serves on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Missions Council.
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