American Teens Still Mean Business
According to a new study, American teens are increasingly more concerned with the business opportunities they can create and the importance of their brands. The research, which was published in the Journal of Children and Media: The Global Histories journal, analyzed survey responses from 552 U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 20 on how they view themselves in society; what they want to do after high school; how this generation will be different than previous ones; and what jobs graduating teenagers will hold in ten years.
Some highlights from the study showed that about 43% of respondents wanted to work for themselves rather than to get a salary or wage as soon as possible after finishing high school. However, many of them don’t want to start their own business immediately; rather, they want to learn more about how to run a business and create a brand for themselves.
The main reasons cited for wanting to be an entrepreneur were: 1) to have independence, 2) for the challenge and thrill of it, 3) to live by your own rules, 4) in order to make money. Thirteen percent of teens said that they would prefer working in an established business where they could get training first before starting their own businesses.
The study also revealed that succeeding generations will be different from previous ones because the future millennial generation is more entrepreneurial in nature than Millennials are now at the same age. The Millennials were considered to be more active in leadership roles and were more likely to take more risks than previous generations. The biggest difference between the generations has to do with the fact that the Millennials are more likely to be self-employed and start their own businesses. They also want to own their own companies.
In order to succeed in this fast-paced world, teens will need to make it a priority while they are still in school. They should also look for business internship opportunities early on which will help them understand how businesses work and how they believe they can create their own brands or products for themselves or for someone else. Otherwise, some teens may be stuck working a normal corporate job even if they wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Myo-initiative – Teens have a tendency to question everything and find out what is truly important and valuable in life, especially when it comes to their generation. They want to know how their actions affect the environment rather than what their opinion of certain brands are. This is the first generation where children can ask for and receive information about the effects that various products and practices have on the environment, which is why they are more concerned with this topic than previous generations.
A new study has suggested that the youth are developing a "Greener Generation", with the Myo-initiative being a prime example of how technology is being used to further the environmental conservation and protection. The study was conducted by scientists from UCLA and Cornell University and has been titled 'Kids These Days: The Changing Face of Environmentalism.'
As part of the study, interviews have been conducted with children under the age of 16 in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Researchers have also used social media to examine what eco-friendly messages are being conveyed to this generation through their peers, as well as celebrities and athletes.
One of the most significant findings of the study is that young adults use technology as a means to voice their opinions on social issues and create change. This youth is more concerned about the environment and less about money compared to previous generations. The analysis also showed that a higher percentage of teenagers are concerned with environmental issues compared to previous generations, but this trend is only starting among this generation, as well as college students.
The study found that one thousand teens participated by answering questions online including whether they would rather protest or give money to charity, how they would react if they were asked to do something unethical by a company and whether they are willing to boycott certain products in protest of animal rights violations or deforestation.
From the online survey, researchers found that a significant percentage of teenagers are willing to act on their beliefs in a number of ways. One such way involves boycotting products that they feel do not align with their beliefs. For example, around 81% of respondents said they would boycott phones or technology if they were found to have been created using conflict minerals from the Congo, while 84% said that they would boycott companies that use palm oil from destroyed rainforests.
It was also noted in the study that many young adults are more concerned about social issues compared to money and fame because for them it is important to understand how their actions affect others as well as the environment. Participating in the study was noted to be beneficial, as many of them had learned something new about the environment and wanted to share this information with others.
The study findings were compiled in a book titled Kids These Days: The Changing Face of Environmentalism which was released on February 19, 2018 by National Geographic Books.
The study confirms that young adults want to take action and can do so in various ways. They are more likely to consider the environment while doing business or being involved in other activities. In order to further increase their concern of the environment, it is important for companies and brands to more actively engage these young adults; they simply need a means through which they know how their decisions affect others and the world's resources.