Generation X Shuns Charismatic Leaders. 

Issue: April, 1999

Eighteen- to 30-year-olds may be the first generation of Americans not looking for charismatic national figures to lead them. According to a poll of Generation Xers conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, young adults believe small groups of resourceful individuals with practical know-how will take the lead instead of big institutions, experts, and/or authority figures. In addition, GenXers are witnessing strong leadership in their own backyards, where teachers, coaches, and even family members are working together to solve the problems of the future.

"Young adults have grown up with no living memory of the activism of the 1960s or the leadership icons that in many ways defined their parent's generation," notes Peter Hart. "Instead, young adults have witnessed an era of heightened cynicism toward both government and political leaders."

When asked who their role models for leadership are, 40% of the respondents cited family members and 26% teachers or coaches, while a mere four percent identified political leaders. "This generation does indeed have a new vision of leadership, and it's not what their parents said it was," says Chuck J. Supple, president of Public Allies, the Washington, D.C., leadership development organization that commissioned the poll. "Their parents may be lamenting today's lack of a Robert Kennedy and a Martin Luther King, but GenXers are not."

The biggest overall impact on this generation has been the increase in divorce and single-parent families. Thirty-two percent cited this trend as being the most defining experience of Generation X. Young adults are committed to countering this trend, with 63% of Hispanics, 60% of whites, and 60% of blacks saying that having a strong family is their most important personal goal.

Sixty-five percent look to ordinary citizens to solve their problems, rather than authority figures (31%) or experts (18%). When asked what types of organizations will be important in solving future problems, 27% said small groups of people working together locally will be critical, followed by partnerships among nonprofit organizations, government, and business.
Patriotism and pride in America rank low in priority among GenX values. Young adults identify more closely with "making a difference in the lives of people close to them," "appreciating and respecting the racial and ethnic diversity of our country," and individual freedom and personal responsibility.

 
COPYRIGHT 1999 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group