News

NPR Asks Millennials To Report On Their Generation, From Outside The Box

By Cara Philbin

Published October 6, 2014 at 5:44 PM EDT

Let's be real, Millennials. The chatter surrounding our generation isn't always super flattering. Perhaps some of it is even a tiny bit unfair (haters gonna hate). The thing is: we control our legacy.

So, Millennials. Who are we? How do we identify ourselves and define our generation's culture? Where do we fit into this world and how are we reshaping it?*

Beginning today, NPR's New Boom series takes a deep and serious plunge into how this stunningly diverse, culturally fascinating generation thinks, works, looks, votes, consumes and engages. Through October, New Boom freak-dances across developmental markers for Millennials (roughly defined as those ages 18-34) and uses hard numbers to converge past facts, present trends and future implications surrounding this generation.

Even more legit? Millennials are leading these reports. Young journalists at NPR and some of our member stations put together their innovative, un-jaded heads and produced tons of digestible reports on everything from patterns in Millennial voting, philanthropy and consumer spending; to statistics surrounding Millennial education, demographics and jobs; to this generation's evolving views on marriage, cohabitation and mental health.

The New Boom team wants feedback - from outside the box - so the series' first social media call-out riffs off of typically constraining Standard Census questions:

If you could create your own Census check boxes, what would they be? Share those with a selfie and tagged #NPRcensus.

Here we'll feature #NPRcensus responses from New Boom journalists alongside their work, so make sure you check back in for updates on the series and glimpses at the young thinkers behind it.

_{*Did you know? Due in part to the scientific evolution of fertility treatments, the Millennial generation is the twin-iest generation that ever was - or will ever be. Stay tuned for NPR producer Becky Hersher's report on Millennial twins.}