Millennials as ‘ethical rebels’ is wide of mark

MILLENNIALS have become seen as an ethical generation who reject big corporations and rebel against authority. However, research from Ipsos Mori suggests that the stereotype is wide of the mark.

Young people are more likely to trust institutions such as the church or the media than their parents, it found.

Of the young people surveyed, 55 per cent said they trusted governments and those in authority, compared to just 39 per cent of baby boomers.

The report says: “There’s no institution which seems in danger of experiencing any kind of ‘crisis of trust’ among younger generations.

“Millennial trust levels just don’t vary massively from the rest of the population when it comes to key institutions like the police, judges, priests and clergymen, scientists and journalists.”

The results could go some way to explaining the disparity in voting decisions in the Brexit referendum last year. Young people were much more likely to vote remain, the course of action recommended by “experts”.

The study also found that millennials are no more ethical than previous generations. Brands including American Apparel and Lush have sought to capitalise on the perception that young people can be persuaded to buy through promises of ethical superiority.

Yet millennials said they were less likely to choose a product because of a company’s responsible behaviour – 12 per cent said they had done this, compared with 17 per cent of Generation X, those who are in their late thirties and forties. They are also slightly less likely to have boycotted a product.

The Ipsos Mori report also warned that technology is leading to a “worrying” crisis in social trust which could lead to higher suicide rates and a damaged economy.