Jean Twenge is rapidly becoming one of America’s most interesting public intellectuals. The San Diego State psychologist has been the most forceful proponent of the theory that teen unhappiness is due to smartphone-empowered social media, and she’s written a book on the differences between generations. Now she’s provided a powerful counterargument to one of the most widespread and enduring economic tropes in our public discourse — the idea that the Millennial generation has been uniquely disadvantaged by the American economy. …
Twenge shows that although Millennials’ incomes took a huge hit during the Great Recession, they’ve since recovered, and are now considerably higher than that of any previous generation at a similar age. …
An interesting question, however, is whether they will socially resemble the earlier generations. The new socialist movement and various “woke” movements have given Millennials a reputation as a rebel generation. But the Boomers were similarly stereotyped back in the 60s and 70s. And we know what happened there — they settled down, made some money, had some kids, and chilled out. CONTINUED
Noah Smith, Noahpinion
The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack