A survey of 16-22 year-olds surprisingly showed that family breakdown was their primary concern with violence in their local communities, poverty and global warming trailing behind and war and government issues low on the list. Economic and environmental issues and racism/discrimination barely registered.
Even more surprising was the interest in religion and spirituality with 73% saying it was very or somewhat important.
Young people have a "fear of winding up alone," said Sandy Close, executive director of New America Media, an association for 700 ethnic news organizations that was founded in 1996 by the Pacific News Service.
Members of the new generation, who spend much of their time on cell phones and text messaging, and "who we think of really as the connected generation is, in a way, most afraid of winding up without intimate connections," she said. There is a "deep yearning for traditional structures and values."
Youths fear decay in family