AARP Study: Generation Gap of 1970s Virtually Gone But Baby Boomer Trust in Government Remains Low, Fear of Impending War High

9/12/2002

From: Tom Otwell of AARP, 202-434-2560

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The "generation gap," which had many baby boomers in the 70s at odds with their parents' values and views of American institutions, has virtually disappeared. Today's boomer parents and their children share views that are more alike than different.

But, boomers' confidence in Congress and trust in government to tell the truth remain low, and their concern that America will be at war within the next decade is high.

These are some of the findings of a new AARP study "Tracing Baby Boomer Attitudes Then and Now: A Comparative Look at the Attitudes of Baby Boomers in the 1970s and in 2002."

"We believe the vanishing generation gap between today's boomers and their children bodes well for America," said AARP President Jim Parkel. "It may be just what our nation needs to finally find solutions for critical social, health and economic problems facing us all. If the two generations link arms, they could be the most powerful force for social change in our nation's history. The gains made in the 70s in civil rights, women's rights, and environmental protections could be the precursor for improving the quality of life for today's boomers, their children and future generations: securing prescription drug coverage for older Americans, strengthening Social Security, and ensuring retirement security."

Thirty years ago, mistrust of American institutions such as government and business, concerns about global unrest and war, doubts about the nation's education system, and questions about organized religion were issues that weighed heavily on the minds of many Americans. A generation later, Americans continue to be concerned about these same political, cultural, and economic issues.

The AARP study examined boomer confidence in government, religion, education, and business; their perspectives on sex, marriage, personal responsibility and ethics; and compared the attitudes of boomers and their parents' generation in the 1970s with the attitudes of today's adult boomers and their own children.

The 1970s data was collected by telephone surveys conducted between 1973 and 1975 and analyzed by AARP's Knowledge Management-Strategic Issues Research staff. The 2002 data was collected by Knowledge Networks through a 2002 Internet survey and was designed to replicate various social and political questions from surveys dating back to the 1970s.

Among the study's findings:

Today's boomers have increased confidence in the Executive Branch. In the 1970s, only 15 percent of boomers reported a great deal of confidence in the people running the Executive Branch. In 2002, the percentage of boomers expressing a great deal of confidence in the Executive Branch almost doubled to 26 percent.

But, only 16 percent of 1970s boomers and 13 percent of boomers today report having a great deal of confidence in Congress. An equal percentage (63 percent and 62 percent) say they have only some confidence in the Legislative Branch. The Supreme Court remains the most trusted branch of government with 34 percent of boomers in the 1970s and 28 percent today reporting a great deal of confidence in the Court.

Overall trust in government remains low. After 30 years, only six percent of today's boomers are very confident that they can generally depend on what government leaders tell them, up from three percent in the 1970s.

Today's boomers also report decreased trust in major companies and corporations (12 percent in 2002 compared with 22 percent in the 1970s) and sharply declining confidence in the nation's education system (20 percent today; 36 percent a generation ago). Boomers' confidence in organized religion also declined from 30 percent to 13 percent.

Baby boomers are far more supportive of the U.S. military than they were 30 years ago. In the early 1970s, only 41 percent felt U.S. military power should be increased but today, 66 percent believe it should be. This may reflect today's boomers' overwhelming belief the country will be at war within the next ten years. Although a generation ago, 73 percent of boomers felt the U.S. would fight another war within the decade, today, 90 percent believe that will be the case.

When comparing boomers and their parents' generation in the 1970s and today's boomers and their Generation X children, the study found what it called "the vanishing generation gap" in several key areas.

In the 1970s when parents of boomers were asked to compare the sexual attitudes of themselves to their children, 61 percent said their boomer children had more liberal attitudes. Ninety percent of boomers said they have more liberal attitudes toward sex than their parents. Today, 86 percent of both boomers and their children agree that young people today have more liberal attitudes toward sex.

Eighty-six percent of boomer parents in the 1970s said their children have less of a sense of personal responsibility. But 51 percent of boomers disagreed that they have less of a sense of personal responsibility compared to other generations. Today, the gap is narrowed in comparisons of boomers and their children with more than 70 percent of both agreeing that young people have less of a sense of personal responsibility than other generations.

Respect for parents is another area where today's boomers now agree with their children with 77 percent of boomers and their children both saying that young people have less respect for their parents. In the 1970s, 69 percent of boomer parents and 54 percent of boomers themselves agreed on the lack of parental respect.

In the 1970s, almost nine out of ten boomer parents agreed that young people have more knowledge about what's going on in the world and 91 percent of boomers themselves agreed. Today, 55 percent of boomer parents disagree that their children are more knowledgeable about world events while 63 percent of their children agree that they are more knowledgeable.

The parents of boomers were split when asked to assess their children's honesty with 43 percent disagreeing and 44 percent agreeing that compared to the earlier generation, young people have less concern about being honest. Again, the generation gap of the 1970s is evident in that 59 percent of boomers disagreed that they themselves are less concerned about being honest. In 2002, 70 percent of both boomers and their children agree that compared to the earlier generations, young people today have less concern with being honest.

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