New York: Contrary to general perception among the elderly, millennials are very much interested in civic and social issues, according to a new study on the information habits of people aged 18-34.
Only the way they consume news has changed, finds the study. Millenials or Generation Y refers to the people born between early 1980s and early 2000s.
The research looks closely at how members of the millennial generation learn about the world on different devices and platforms.
Contrary to the popular perception, they keep up with what is commonly referred to as 'hard news', as well as stories that connect them to hobbies, culture, jobs and entertainment.
This study was conducted jointly by the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.
"This is the second study we have conducted that challenges some common perceptions about news in the digital age," said Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute.
"This one finds that across a range of metrics, the first digital generation is highly engaged.
If anything, the enormous role of social media appears to have a widening impact, not a narrowing one, on the awareness of this generation," he added.
Fully 69 percent of millennials report getting news at least once a day, 40 percent several times a day.
Millennials say they acquire news for a variety of reasons, which include a fairly even mix of civic motivations (74 percent), problem-solving needs (63 percent), or social factors (67 percent) such as talking about it with friends.
Contrary to the idea that social media creates a polarising 'filter bubble', exposing people to only a narrow range of opinions, 70 percent of millennials say that their social media feeds are comprised of a diverse mix of viewpoints evenly mixed between those similar to and different from their own.
An additional 16 percent say their feeds contain mostly viewpoints different from their own.
And nearly three-quarters of those exposed to different views (73 percent) report they investigate others' opinions at least some of the time.
Facebook has become a nearly ubiquitous part of digital millennial life. While millennials are highly equipped, it is not true they are constantly connected. More than 90 percent of adults age 18-34 surveyed own smartphones, and half own tablets. But only half (51 percent) say they are online most or all of the day.
"For many millennials, news is part of their social flow, with most seeing it as an enjoyable or entertaining experience," said Trevor Tompson, director of the AP-NORC Centre.
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