Terrorism, “conflict” issues replace environmentalism as top person concerns

So, what might lie behind these sentiments? The answer lies, to some extent, in the things millennials say are of greatest concern to them. In mature markets (especially northern Europe), terrorism is a particular concern. Collectively, the broad spectrum of issues surrounding conflict and political tension is cited as a concern by almost six in 10 (56 percent) survey respondents. Taken together, these “conflict” issues are the main concerns in mature markets and also a worry to many in emerging markets (42 percent)— although, within the latter, both crime/corruption (58 percent) and hunger/health care/inequality (50 percent) rank above them.

As a specific issue, unemployment continues to worry many millennials; with a quarter (25 percent) concerned, it ranks third of 18 items measured. Having lived through the “economic meltdown” that began in 2008, and with high levels of youth unemployment continuing to be a feature of many economies, it is natural that millennials will continue to be concerned about the job market. However, to put the survey results in context, in 19 of the 30 countries covered by the survey, terrorism is a bigger concern than unemployment. Of the 11 countries where unemployment is a bigger concern, only one, Spain, is a mature western market.

It is of note that environment/climate change lies toward the bottom of millennials’ personal concerns. That’s somewhat surprising, given that when we asked about the world’s greatest challenges in 2014, climate change and resource scarcity, taken together, topped the list. Also looking back to 2014, we see that “only” 15 percent identified terrorism as among the world’s biggest challenges, whereas now the proportion personally concerned is double that figure (29 percent).

To summarize, millennials, especially those in mature European economies, have serious concerns about the directions in which their countries are going. They are particularly concerned about uncertainty arising from conflict, as well as other issues that include crime, corruption, and unemployment. But, the millennials covered by the survey are not mere observers; increasingly and collectively, they have the potential to change the world around them. This is especially true within the workplace—once again, business has the potential to be a force for positive change that shines through as a core belief of the millennial generation.