At the Washington Examiner, Julio Rosas examines a recent survey in his article, “Importance of Patriotism, God, and Family Plummets Among Young People: Poll.” Rosas opens his article with this brief summary:
“In a new poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, nearly 80% of people aged 55-91 said being patriotic is important to them, while only 42% of millennials and Generation Z, or those aged 18-38, said the same. Thirty percent of millennials and Generation Z said religion was important, compared to the over 75% of baby boomers, with just over 30% of millennials and Generation Z saying it was important to have children.”The one category in the poll where young people outpaced their elders? The importance of self-fulfillment.
If we are among those who believe in the worth of patriotism, faith, and family, our first inclination on viewing these results might be to shake our heads in dismay and wonder what is wrong with Millenials (those born between 1982 and 1995) and Generation Z (1995 and 2015). Love of country, love of God, love of family, the desire for children: are these not the basic building blocks of civilization? How can so many young people consider them unimportant? What’s wrong with them?
