The Young People Survey is Bullshit
The younger generations in every culture often face a lot of scrutiny from the older generations because of the hobbies and interests that become popular amongst their age group. In the United Kingdom this is no different, as the youthful generation is referred to using the slang term yob. The term yob is derived from the word boy and is synonymous with other slang terms such as thug, hooligan, and lout. Older generations commonly view the youth as, “hellbent on loutishness, symptomised by the abusive and pornographic language commonly used and the spitting, snarling, menacing, bullying, boozing, drugging and sexual excess some call everyday behaviour” (yorkshirepost.co.uk).
Although alcohol, drugs, sex, and mischief may be a part of the youth culture today, UK teens are way more dynamic and are filled with more interests and ambitions than they are given credit for. The Young People Survey administered in 2013 by a statistics class at FSEV UK captured the multi-dimensionality of people between the ages of 15–30. The survey collected responses to 150 questions that asked about their tastes in music and movies, hobbies and interests, phobias, personality traits, views on life, health and spending habits, and demographics. In total, the survey gathered 1,010 respondents.
The prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse is a common belief about teens but that is not necessarily true. Only 8% of respondents are current smokers who drink a lot, 32% consider themselves social drinkers and have tried smoking, and 6% have never smoke or drank (Figure 1). Although the majority of respondents have tried smoking and drinking (94%), only a few (8%) categorized themselves as people who have a real alcohol and drug problem.
Another misconception of UK teenagers is that they are “snarling” and “menacing” criminals who raise hell throughout the towns. When asked if they had ever damaged things in the past when angry (Figure 2), 54% of respondents said they had never or rarely caused criminal damage. Only 18% responded that they always cause criminal damage which is more than expected, but it is unfair to make the assumption that all of youth culture does so.
When most people reminisce on their teenage years, they often think about all of the fun they had with their friends and this generation is no different. When asked how important socializing was in their lives, the overwhelming majority of respondents placed it as their top priority in life. On a scale of one to five, 89% of people rated socializing as a four or five which resulted in a mean answer of 4.66 out of five (Figure 3). This was by far the highest rated hobby or interest on the entire survey.
In order to be successful in life and have healthy relationships, it is important to be reliable and keep promises to others. These are two of the most important priorities for the youth culture and are a good starting point for their prosperity in life. 56% of respondents placed a high importance on reliability and keeping promises, rating both of them as a four or five on a five-point scale (Figure 4).
A big concern about the yob culture is that they are ill-mannered and do not care about how they appear to others. This survey disproves this belief as 55% of respondents consider themselves well-mannered and claim that they care about their appearance. Only 2% of respondents replied that they strongly disagree with this statement (Figure 5).
Empathy is one of the last traits that an older person would use to characterize the yob culture in the UK, however, the majority of youth respondents view themselves as empathetic people. 66% of respondents consider empathy a high priority in their lives, rating it a four or five on a five-point scale; while 4% said that empathy is of no importance to them, rating it a one (Figure 6). The youth care a lot about not only their manners and appearance to others, but they also are very aware of how others around them are feeling as well. People try to position the youth as being inconsiderate of those around them when, as this survey shows, that is not the case at all.
It is important to recognize that the teenage years are a difficult time for kids because it is a time for them to grow and mature to discover who they truly are. Peer pressure is an integral part of this time which may result in the teens having a temporary lapse in judgement and making bad decisions, but that does not mean that they are bad people. Although the presence of alcohol, drugs, sex, and mischief are what older generations choose to focus on; the survey revealed that what teens care about most is having fun with their friends, keeping promises, being reliable, and having empathy. To attempt and describe the younger generation as a yob culture is unfair because it doesn’t give the teens any credit for their positive interests and ambitions, rather it restricts them to the identify only as their wrongdoings.
