New poll of teens and tweens shows
responsible attitudes up since 1989
If you swallow the old line that the teens today are morally inferior to previous generations, think again.
More American teens today say they would make responsible decisions on everything from cheating on tests to cyberbullying, smoking and sex than teens did 20 years ago, according to a study released today by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI).
Nearly two thirds of teens said they would not cheat on a test compared to half in 1989. One third of them said they would wait until marriage to have sex, compared to 24 percent 20 years ago. More say they would refuse an alcoholic drink if offered one at a party (58% to 46%). And they are less likely to think smoking is acceptable - down to 18 percent from more than a quarter in 1989.
"There's clearly a generational change taking place," said Kimberlee Salmond, senior researcher at GSRI and lead author of the study, Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens Today.
Teens today also place more importance on diversity. Among 7th- to 12th-graders, nearly six in 10 (59%) say that being around people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is important to them. This appears to be particularly important to girls (63% versus 55% of boys) and youth from diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds.
And two decades later, youth are more accepting of gay relationships. Fifty-nine percent of teenagers agree with the statement, "Gay and lesbian relationships are OK, if that is a person's choice." Only 31 percent agreed in 1989.
"These young people strongly value diversity, acceptance and civic involvement, and almost across the board they're more committed to these values than were their predecessors 20 years ago," said Salmond.
The study also asked teens about Internet bullying and harassment issues. Only six percent say they would cyberbully a classmate by forwarding an embarrassing picture to their friends. And 40 percent would go the extra mile and tell the cyberbully what he or she did was wrong.
Contrary to the media image of an apathetic youth, these young people seemed have a stronger sense of civic engagement. Compared to 20 years ago, youth today are more likely to say they intend to vote in the future (84% vs. 77%), as well as give to charity (76% vs. 63%). Some 79 percent say they will volunteer in their communities.
In addition, 71 percent say their religious beliefs are important to them, and this group is not as likely as less religious or nonreligious young people to say they would lie, cheat, drink and have sex.
The study also uncovered differences among boys and girls. Among teenagers, girls are less likely than boys to say they would have sex (girls 18% vs. boys 38%) or advise an abortion (6% vs.12 %), and are more likely to give to charity (80% vs. 72 %) and volunteer in their community (81% vs. 77%.)
The study involved a nationwide survey of 3,263 girls and boys from the third through twelfth grades that queried them on issues ranging from ethics and diversity to civic involvement and peer pressure. The study was conducted with Harris Interactive (formerly Louis Harris Inc., the same firm that worked on the 1989 study.)
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Comments
Interesting article! I actually find teens today to be more mature and of better values than teenagers of my generation. I also find them more genuine and honest with themselves and others, as well as more down-to-earth and practical. I believe their lifestyle choices will agree with these traits.
How many kids admit to being liars on polls? I bet the percentage is higher today... i.e. the cheating example might be okay for a test, but just about every kid cheats today because they don't consider cutting and pasting from the Internet cheating. They consider looking things up online to be the whole assignment, rather than researching, thinking, processing, typing and turning out their own work.
Very interesting article.
I feel like teens in this generation is more likely to cheat on their academic and personal relationships. I also feel like teens are more likely to have sex before marriage, and youth are definitely accepting more of the gay and lesbian relationships more than ever. I personally don't agree that these statistics are "legit" because teens say one thing but do the other thing. I personally think teens are less mature and more immature these days. They're not responsible for their actions. I personally thought that generations in the past are more mature.
salam
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