I came across a great study by MTV called Youthtopia which had fantastic insight into global youth and the key values driving their behaviour. It’s from early 2010, but I believe the insights are still very true today.
According the the study there were 5 meta values which created the 10 commandments of youth. These 5 meta values are INDIVIDUALITY, TRADITION, HONESTY, EFFORT and POSITIVITY. Off the back of these 5 values, here are the 10 commandments driving youth behaviour:
1. Believe in yourself
2. Honesty is the best policy
3. Take responsibility
4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T your parents
5. Be passionate and live life to the max
6. Stay optimistic even when things aren’t great
7. Dream big
8. Be a creator, not a destroyer
9. Embrace differences in culture, in beliefs
10. Stay true to your friends
What was interesting to me was that there are some myths about Gen Y and Gen Z and how they behave which were uncovered in the study. They are:
- Born to be mild NOT hedonistic
- Industrious NOT lazy
- Achievement obsessed NOT celebrity obsessed
- Looking for love NOT sexually promiscuous
-Family focussed NOT selfish
