Millennials blame ‘destructive’ Baby Boomers for making life ‘worse’

Millennials say Baby Boomers made life worse for the younger generations and that rising tuition fees, high unemployment rates and even world wars are Boomers’ fault, a new study has found.

According to an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll, focusing on 4,638 adults in the US, 51 per cent of Millennials (aged 18 to 34) blame the Baby Boomer generation, (anyone aged 54 to 69-year-olds), for making everyday life harder for them.

Just 13 per cent said Boomers had improved the state of the world. The study claims that if this trend persists it could lead to a generational divide and eventually political rivalry between age groups. It warns each generation could end up competing for limited tax dollars, with “Millennials seeking government help as automation takes hold, and Boomers insisting on promised levels of Social Security and Medicare”.

A few Millennials had some suggestions on how to improve the gap, with one 34-year-old American suggesting: “Remove all old government officials and term limits for the House and Congress.” Another 22-year-old added: “Sleep more because you will be less sensitive to negative emotions.”

Transgender activist Paris Lees recently spoke out in a passionate speech against Baby Boomers in the UK, when she appeared on BBC Question Time. She said at the time: “I personally feel very let down by baby-boomers actually. I think they are one of the most destructive generations ever.

“They came up at a time when it was free to go to university, they have enjoyed a better living standard they have ever enjoyed in human history, they had every possible advantage given to them and now people are getting poorer, life expectancy is going down and we’re not going to be as rich as our parents.”

Overall, 30 per cent of Boomers said their generation had made things worse, 32 per cent disagreed and said they’d made it better and 34 per cent were on the fence.

Meanwhile, the study also found Millennials are less confident in their fiscal responsibility than their elders, with 56 per cent saying they’re “extremely” or “very” responsible in how they manage their money, compared with 80 per cent of over 70-year-olds.

It’s not the first time Millennials have spoken out against older generations. In March, a social media user sparked a wide debate after openly blaming older generations for making everything from buying a house to paying for education much harder.

Read more: Debate as millennial angrily blames older generation for ‘harder times’

In a post on social media site Tumblr, the user shared the foul-mouthed message with people right across the world – and it sparked a very mixed response as other users rushed to share their views.

The post, named “YOUR generation“, used real-life scenarios from the user’s own family to demonstrate their point. They began by revealing their parents worked as teachers, and managed to buy a four-bedroom house in the US, as well as put their two kids through private school.

However, the 25-year-old user then added: “MY generation can’t buy a home when the average cost is $440k (AU $565,000) and a combined income of two teachers is only $70k, and they have to pay 35 per cent income to rent, let alone trying to afford children.”

The user went on to cite their uncle, who had managed to put himself through college and law school by “washing dishes”, but added: “MY generation is in student debt on average $29,400. And we have scholarships but they only cover 40 per cent of the cost and when law school costs $120k for two years, you do the math.”

Read more: Millennial Lib leader wants to force you to sell your home

The angry youth blamed a string of worldwide government decisions for their struggles, writing: “Don’t tell me that it’s MY GENERATION that f***ing things up.”

Many pointed out their generation was in its early teens when war was declared in Afghanistan in 2001, they distanced themselves from that decision, before saying they had no part in “de-funding mental health institutions in 1975”. They then took aim at rising tuition fees and less scholarships for education, and blamed past generations for a rising housing market.

The post concluded: “So don’t tell me I ‘just’ need to ‘get a better job’ or that I ‘only’ have to send my kids to ‘a good school.’  Because it doesn’t work like that anymore. And don’t blame me.”

What do you think? Should Millennials blame Baby Boomers for their own struggles? Or should they buckle up and get to work on finding a solution? 

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your financial or legal situation, objectives or needs. That means it’s not financial product or legal advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a financial or legal decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get independent, licensed financial services or legal advice.