Good news for parents of kids born after 2010: your kids may be more caring than you think they are. In fact, they may care more – about certain issues, anyway – than you or other adults you know.
A recent study found that kids born after 2010 – known as Gen Alpha, apparently– care about school safety, food access, equality and the environment more than adults. The research, conducted by Hotwire, involved 1,000 children ages 7 to 9 years old and about 1,000 millennials and 1,000 baby boomers, according to The Holmes Report.
“This generation is going to be incredibly opinionated,” Laura Macdonald, consumer head for Hotwire North America, said in the report. “And they care so much about the issues.”
The results seem to match another recent study that found American teens are politically engaged and have high rates of civic engagement. That study also found that many teens are pessimistic about the country’s direction.
If you’re wondering about passing your own opinions on to your kids, you can read more about kids and politics here.
So which issues do Gen Alpha kids care about most? Here’s a closer look.
- School safety means a lot. In the survey, 97% of Gen Alpha kids said that keeping children safe at school is extremely important. Meanwhile, only 68% of millennials and 56% of baby boomers said it was extremely important.
- Kids want to eliminate hunger. The Hotwire survey found that 97% of Gen Alpha kids said it is extremely important to make sure everyone has enough food to eat. Among millennials and baby boomers, the “extremely important” designation was only indicated by 72% and 65%, respectively.
- The environment is a priority for young people. According to the survey, 95% of Gen Alphas said taking care of the environment is a top priority. Meanwhile, 57% of millennials and 37% of baby boomers felt the same.
- Equality matters. Among Gen Alpha kids, 96% said it is extremely important to make sure people are treated fairly regardless of how they look. As for the older generations, 79% of millennials felt that way along with 58% of baby boomers.
Will kids continue to feel this way as they age? Only time will tell, but Macdonald says in the Holmes Report article that the issues seem to mean a lot to youth.
“I just think the fact that they care more about issues than baby boomers and millennials do today shows that they are going to grow up with this absolutely rooted in them,” she says.
For more details, read the full report here.
