Are Millennials Really More Thankful This Time of Year?

Millennials have been called many things, but would you expect ‘grateful’ to be high on the list? Believe it or not, The Harris Poll® surveyed 2,225 US adults and found that millennials are one of the most thankful generations this year. And compared to recent years, millennials and Americans have much more to be thankful for, making this Thanksgiving one to remember.

Many Millennials

Only 15% of Americans said they had less to be thankful for this year compared to recent years, while millennials lead the generations with 53% of them saying they have something to be thankful for, compared to 46% of Gen-Xers and 33% of Baby Boomers. What’s more, only 9% of millennials had less to be thankful for this year, which means attitudes are generally more positive. When compared to Gen-Xers at 14%, Baby Boomers at 19%, and Matures (70+) at 24% less thankful than recent years, it seems as though millennials will be the happiest at the dinner table. However, 13% of millennials weren’t sure how much more or less they had to be thankful for this year, when only 7% of Gen-Xers and 4% of Baby Boomers and Matures couldn’t decide, either. This larger number of “undecided” millennials could have an effect on the results, though how much is unknown.

What Are Millennials Thankful For?

Millennials lead (or come close to the top) in almost all categories when asked what they were grateful for. Millennials came in first in most “why are you thankful” categories, including: technology makes it easy to stay in touch with family and friends, good technology is easily accessible, their work situation, it’s safe to walk the streets, the way people treat each other, and because of the economic situation in the US. Millennials were only second in three “why” categories, behind Matures, because of the health of their family, their personal economic situation, and their family relationships, in which they tied for second with Baby Boomers. Interestingly, the largest differences in thankfulness were found in the way people treat each other and the economic situation of the US, with millennials 10% away from the next closest generation at 40% in the first, and 14% away at 39% in the second.

Why Are Millennials So Thankful?

It’s unclear as to why millennials are particularly thankful this year. Millennials may just have a more positive outlook on life than other generations or perhaps don’t have a full understanding of issues, such as the US economic situation. Or maybe millennials are just a more thankful generation than we ever thought. Whatever the reason, we don’t have to worry about millennials being ungrateful pilgrims this year. Pile the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy on their plate. They’ll appreciate it.

 


Are you more thankful this year?


 

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