What’s going on with Millennials? Here’s what the research says

Millennials are those born between 1980 and 1995. They’re a unique group, as they witnessed the dawn of many new technologies, including social media.

While Millennials are known to be hard-working and tech savvy, there are many downsides to their generation as well. For example, a large percentage of Millennials are chronically anxious, with some studies showing that they are the most stressed group in history.

Millennials are also known to be incredibly self-centered, even narcissistic. So what’s going on?

Allie Beth Stuckey invites Dr. George Barna, who specializes in researching the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, to the show to discuss some major concerns.

“The key thing in every person’s life is their worldview,” says Dr. Barna, “and it’s based on the foundations, the assumptions, the beliefs, the values” of each individual.

Many of Millennials’ biggest issues stem from their defective worldviews, according to Dr. Barna.

“Currently, only two out of every 100 Millennials [possess] a biblical worldview,” he explains, adding that the majority have adopted “syncretism,” which is when someone takes “bits and pieces from other worldviews – Marxism, postmodernism, secular humanism, Eastern mysticism.”

So if God is not ruling the majority of Millenials’ lives, then what is?

Apparently the answer is feelings.

“Feelings can lead us astray more often than not, so we've got to be very careful about that,” Dr. Barna explains, “but we know that Millennials do not believe there are any absolute moral truths, and so that sets them up for all kinds of issues in terms of relationships, in terms of mental health, in terms of occupational issues.”

Allie is also concerned about the chronic self-centeredness that seems to define an overwhelming number of Millennials.

As a Millennial herself, Allie notes that her age group “saw the dawn of technology – the first 'about me' sections … [and] personalized technology.”

“Everything was kind of catered to us – our personalities, what we like, what we want, and so in some ways, the world really did revolve around us,” she tells Dr. Barna.

“Millennials look at themselves and believe they have value, and part of their … highest desire in life is for other people to value them as much as they value themselves,” Dr. Barna explains.

Millennials are “trying to make sense of the world where they are at the center of everything; they’ve replaced this idea of God, and now everything revolves around them,” he continues.

“I hate to use the term narcissistic, but for many Millennials, that’s probably an apt description,” he tells Allie.

“How do we help Millennials thrive?” she asks.

To find out more, watch the video below.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.