Getting inside the heads of Generation Y – logic rules, in politics anyway

by Alec Hogg

Spent yesterday morning in a presentation about Generation Y – those born between 1980 and the turn of the century at an event arranged by accounting body ACCA. Presenter Barrie Bramley was masterful. It’s not the first time I’ve been exposed to research about Millennials (we have a few at Biznews). But it was certainly the most insightful.

Major takeaways – Millennials have a different kind of wisdom; their obsession with their phones is rational – they access all the information and services they need on their mobiles. They up-skill themselves by studying different modules rather than specialising; they believe in outcomes-based job relationships so get frustrated when forced to clock in and out at a central office; they see no shame in calling for help from “helicopter” parents and see no reason to make a quick escape from the family home; and because of this support structure, self-confidence is generally high.

Of course those are broad generalisations. But the way Barrie explained it resonated with what I’ve witnessed. Now all I’ve got to get my mind around is why Generation Y-ers are disengaged from politics. Then again, maybe they’re the ones acting logically. There’s something strange about older generations accepting a system where every five years, people who want power make promises to get votes – just to break them once elected. For instance, how many of us would have voted for Jacob Zuma if he told us he intended spending R246m of taxpayer funds on his Nkandla home?

Yesterday’s top stories: