Actually, let’s talk about the Millennials, or Generation Y, as they are otherwise known.  (Personally, I belong to the generational group that is sandwiched between the two great societal plates of the Boomers and the Millennials. Yes, I have just dated myself.  No, I’m not sorry.) The Millennials have been the subject of observation and study by sociologists, economists, political scientists, insurance firms, and marketing companies alike for some time now.  Naturally, as the biggest group to arrive since the much-talked about Baby Boomers, the Millennials should command a healthy dose of attention.  As their turn to “rule the population,” in the words of a popular song, comes, the impact of that changing of the guard on our society promises to be immense.  (Again as the member of the humble “sandwich generation”—is that a new term, by the way? Then change “humble” to “brilliant,” please, --I am simply waiting to be swept away by the tide.)  The National Journal, the Atlantic, and Allstate insurance company have teamed up to conduct a series of polls, comprising the Heartland Monitor Poll, to chronicle “the middle-class experience” in America.  The results of the fifth poll in the series, specifically studying the attitudes of Gen:Y-ers, were released today. The biggest difference between the Boomers and the Millennials is in their attitude towards risk.  Millennials are not risk-takers, it turns out.  They want security, economic and societal, and are savers who plan for the long-term.  Increasingly, they live at home with their parents (or grand-parents, in many cases) and receive financial support from close relatives and want the adults to “do-something” about the societal woes. This isn’t solely a personal choice, though.  Gen:Y-ers, being the “good kids” that they are have always played by the rules.  They were taught to be responsible, to work hard and to go to college, since this has been the traditional path to the middle-class life, or so it seemed.  As a result, many of them have worked part time jobs most of their adult lives, have become concerned with saving money, and amassed huge amounts of debt to get that college degree and, in many cases, graduate education.  What they are facing now, is the mother of all recessions, with particularly paltry employment prospects for those who are just entering the workforce and record levels of personal debt. The recession is certainly not a personal experience singling out Generation Y.  But, do they feel particularly cheated by the society?  Perhaps.  Many Y-ers, or 45 percent according to the poll, say that college was not worth the investment and the sentiment seems to be “my generation has to work harder to succeed.”  Some believe that there is not much of a middle class anymore. As the results of the poll were discussed at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, the consensus among presenters was that the current recession was weighing heavily on the new cohort of workers and the poll results were reflecting that.  But they have also conceded that the job market was not strong enough to absorb all of the new workers and provide them with good economic opportunities even before the recession.  The U.S. economy needs to go through fundamental restructuring to reduce the entry costs for the new members of the labor force and generate enough jobs for the large numbers of new workers coming on line.  The U.S. was thrust into the sea of globalization at about the same time as the first Generation Y members were being born.  Instinctively, they realize that globalization was a game-changer for them, and more of them assess the impact of globalization on the economy in general and on their cohort in particular as negative, rather than positive.  It’s a good thing that the Millennials have a more favorable attitude towards U.S. government institutions than exists in the general population.  Perhaps they will trust the government enough to put an effort into pressing the policymakers to enact economic policies that favor Americans.  And judging by how diligent and well… numerous, the Gen:Y-ers are, we know they can.