Congratulations! to all students who will be wearing a cap and gown over the next few weeks. We honor each graduate and look forward to all of the amazing things that the graduating classes of 2010 will accomplish during the coming years.
We thought we’d point out a study that gives some clues as to what the future may hold for some of these grads. The Barna research group asked 602 soon-to-be-high-school graduates where they thought they would be by the time they were 25 years old:
- Graduate from College (93%)
- Having a close connection with God (72%)
- International travel (71%)
- Church involvement (63% felt they’d be involved at some points in their lives, but only 29% said they be involved by age 25)
- Marriage (58% felt they would be involved at some point in their lives, but only 12% said they be married by 25 years of age)
We are hearten by the numbers that desire a close connection with God, but note that that connection is not something that these students perceive will be gained through traditional church involvement. This trend mirrors other studies that show that involvement in organized religion among millennials (ages 18-30) has dropped off dramatically.
We are alarmed that only 58% of young people feel that marriage is something that they want to participate in. This is further evidence that we are on the verge of losing a “marriage culture.” We hope this rather dismal omen of the future is grounded in teenage distraction and exuberance because marriage will be an essential component in the success of these grads lives, their future children’s lives and is crucial to an on-going successful society.
Read details of the Barna survey: http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/366-teenagers-want-successful-careers-and-global-travel-expect-to-delay-marriage-a-parenting-