Is America Ready to Unleash a Multigenerational Force for Good?
Old and Young Working Together
A big study found that Americans want older and younger people to team up and help solve problems. Young people and people of color are leading the way!
Why Working Together Matters
Right now, America has people of all ages living at the same time. There are lots of kids, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged people, and older people. This has never happened before in history!
Scientists asked people if they wanted to work with others who are much older or younger than them. Here's what they found:
The big idea: People are ready and excited to work together across ages. They just need chances to do it!
Young People Are Leading
The study found something cool. Young people and people of color want to work across ages the most. They are almost twice as excited about it as other groups!
Gen Z (Ages 18-25)
Much more likely to join
Black Adults
Very excited
Hispanic Adults
Very excited
Gen Z Want More
Wish they had more chances
Young people today grow up around people of all different ages and backgrounds. So working together feels natural to them!
Everyone Has Something to Share
Older and younger people want different things. But these things fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces!
What Older Adults Say
74 out of 100 older adults like working with young people because: "I can share what I know with someone younger."
What Younger Adults Say
65 out of 100 young people like working with older adults because: "They teach me things I couldn't learn anywhere else."
Both groups know that big problems take a long time to solve. They also know that no single group of people can fix everything alone. That's why working together makes sense!
What Problems Should We Solve Together?
Different age groups care about different things. But there are some problems everyone wants to work on together.
Young People Care Most About: Mental Health
More than half of young people (54%) want to work on mental health. They want to help people feel less lonely and sad. Older people can help with this too!
Older People Care Most About: The Environment
More than half of older people (51%) want to work on saving the planet. They care about the world they will leave behind. Young people care about this too!
Everyone Cares About: Education
Education is the only topic that all age groups put in their top five. This means it's a great place for old and young to team up!
What Makes It Hard?
Half the people in the study said there are things that stop them from working across ages. But here's the good news: these problems can be fixed!
The biggest problem everyone mentioned: "I can't find ways to work with people of other ages."
This tells us what we need to do. We need to make more chances for people to work together!
Other things that get in the way:
- Not knowing how to start (especially young people)
- Having trouble talking to people of different ages
- Worrying about getting sick (especially during COVID-19)
- Thinking that different ages don't agree on things
The important part: People WANT to work together. They just need help getting started!
How We Can Make It Happen
This study shows that Americans are ready to work across ages. We just need to make it easier. Here's how:
- Mix ages in everyday life — Schools, parks, and neighborhoods should bring old and young together more
- Create more chances to team up — Start programs where different ages work on projects together
- Make it easy to find — Help people find groups they can join
- Change how we think — Stop treating old people like they can't do things and young people like they don't know anything
- Show it works — Tell people that working across ages makes everything better!
When old and young work together, amazing things happen. We can solve big problems. We can understand each other better. We can make America a better place for everyone.
This is great news for everyone!
