在人們的一般印象中,年輕人應(yīng)該是什么樣的?他們思想前衛(wèi),能很快接受社會(huì)上涌現(xiàn)的新思潮,行為大膽甚至出格,不斷挑戰(zhàn)老一輩人的傳統(tǒng)價(jià)值觀……但現(xiàn)在,英國(guó)的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查卻顯示出生于1990年代中葉至2000年后的“Z世代”年輕人成了二戰(zhàn)后最保守的一代人。
在歐美,人們用Z世代(Generation Z)來(lái)指代在1990年代中葉至2000年后出生的人,相當(dāng)于中國(guó)95后和00后。如今,Z世代也逐漸成長(zhǎng)到了進(jìn)入社會(huì)的年紀(jì),人們也開始關(guān)注這股社會(huì)上的新生力量。
提起嬰兒潮世代(指1945年~1965年出生的人),人們會(huì)想起嬉皮士或是迪斯科,而說(shuō)到嬰兒潮后的X世代(指1966年~1980年出生的人)則會(huì)讓人們想起垃圾搖滾和都市美男,Z世代在人們眼里又是怎樣的形象呢?
近日,一家品牌咨詢機(jī)構(gòu)針對(duì)Z世代的調(diào)查得出了令人驚訝的結(jié)果。調(diào)查顯示,Z世代是二戰(zhàn)以來(lái)最為保守的一代人。在調(diào)查中,14%的Z世代年輕人的立場(chǎng)非常保守,而在千禧世代和X世代中這個(gè)數(shù)字只有2%和1%。調(diào)查顯示,Z世代在對(duì)毒品、同性戀、紋身等事物的態(tài)度上都比前代人保守。
《泰晤士報(bào)》報(bào)道稱:
When asked where they judged their opinions on same-sex marriage, transgender rights and marijuana legalisation, on a scale of one to five, from very liberal to quite conservative, 59 per cent of Generation Z respondents said that they were on the conservative end of the spectrum while 83 per cent of Millennials and 85 per cent of Generation X respondents said they were either “quite” or “very liberal”.
當(dāng)被要求以非常開明到非常保守五個(gè)選項(xiàng)來(lái)評(píng)價(jià)他們對(duì)于同性婚姻,變性人權(quán)力和大麻合法化的態(tài)度時(shí),59%的Z世代受訪者稱他們偏向保守的一方。而83%的千禧世代(指1980年~2000年出生的人)和85%的X世代受訪者稱他們的態(tài)度“比較開明”或“非常開明”。
而據(jù)《每日郵報(bào)》報(bào)道:
As well as being more socially conservative, more than 10 per cent of teenagers were more likely to avoid tattoos.This compared to only two per cent of Millennials and six per cent of Generation X.
保守不只體現(xiàn)在社會(huì)問題上。超過10%的年輕人更有可能拒絕紋身。相比之下這一比例在千禧世代中只有2%,在X世代中為6% 。
The research, which surveyed more than 2,000 people, forms parallels with recent evidence that young people are less likely to drink and take drugs than their immediate elders.
這項(xiàng)研究調(diào)查了2000余人。最近的跡象表明,年輕人喝酒和吸毒的可能性比他們的上一輩更小。這與該調(diào)查得出的結(jié)果是一致的。
在如今日趨開放的社會(huì),這樣的調(diào)查結(jié)果無(wú)疑令人驚訝。為什么越來(lái)越寬容自由的社會(huì)環(huán)境會(huì)培養(yǎng)出更加保守的一代人呢?很多人對(duì)此發(fā)表了自己的看法。
《泰晤士報(bào)》就此問題采訪了英國(guó)政府的首席科學(xué)顧問:
Sir Mark Walport, the government's chief scientific adviser, said that “digital immersion” had resulted in a rapid societal shift that was having a profound impact on young people.
政府的首席科學(xué)顧問Mark Walport爵士稱,“沉浸于數(shù)字世界”導(dǎo)致了社會(huì)的急速轉(zhuǎn)變,這對(duì)年輕人有著深刻的影響。
He said that the popularity of social media and computer games had left children with “l(fā)ess time and opportunity to participate in traditional risky behaviours” but that it had exposed them to more “hate content” online.
他表示社交媒體和電腦游戲的流行讓孩子們“更少有時(shí)間和機(jī)會(huì)參與傳統(tǒng)意義上的危險(xiǎn)行為”,但也使他們更多地接觸到了網(wǎng)絡(luò)上的“惡意內(nèi)容”。
而《電訊報(bào)》專欄作者M(jìn)ichael Deacon認(rèn)為這只是年輕人反叛的一種體現(xiàn):
Of course, those respondents are little more than children, and their views may change.Even so, I was taken aback.Weren't the young meant to be rebellious? Wasn't it their duty to push against established social norms?
當(dāng)然,被調(diào)查者比孩子大不了多少,他們的觀點(diǎn)還可能變化。但即使是這樣,我也很震驚。難道年輕人不應(yīng)該是叛逆的嗎?難道反對(duì)現(xiàn)有的社會(huì)行為規(guī)范不是他們的責(zé)任嗎?
But then I realised.That's exactly what today's teenagers are doing.The established social norms are now liberal,which makes conservatism a form of rebellion.If you want to shock your liberal parents, you need to be straitlaced.
但我很快意識(shí)到。這恰恰就是今天的年輕人正在做的事?,F(xiàn)有的社會(huì)行為規(guī)范已經(jīng)是自由主義的了。因此保守主義就成了一種反叛。如果你想嚇一嚇自由派的父母,那你就要古板一些。
盡管Z世代一反常態(tài)的保守立場(chǎng)令人驚訝,不過就像Michael Deacon說(shuō)的那樣,Z世代的年紀(jì)比孩子大不了多少。因此,現(xiàn)在就給他們下定義為“保守的一代”未免言之過早。但保守思潮在年輕人中普遍出現(xiàn)這一不同尋常的現(xiàn)象也應(yīng)引起人們的思考。
詞匯總結(jié)
millennial[m?'l?n??l]
adj.一千年的;千禧年的
This compared to only two per cent of Millennials and six per cent of Generation X.
相比之下這一比例在千禧世代中只有2%,在X世代中為6% 。
parallel with平行;與…比較
The research, which surveyed more than 2,000 people, forms parallels with recent evidence that young people are less likely to drink and take drugs than their immediate elders.
這項(xiàng)研究調(diào)查了2000余人。最近的跡象表明,年輕人喝酒和吸毒的可能性比他們的上一輩更小。這與該調(diào)查得出的結(jié)果是一致的。
rebellious[r?'belj?s]
adj.反抗的;造反的;難控制的
push against推,推撞;推擠
Weren't the young meant to be rebellious?Wasn't it their duty to push against established social norms?
難道年輕人不應(yīng)該是叛逆的嗎?難道反對(duì)現(xiàn)有的社會(huì)行為規(guī)范不是他們的責(zé)任嗎?
straitlaced['streit'leist]
adj.嚴(yán)格的;固執(zhí)的;刻板的
v.用系帶縛緊(straitlace的過去式)
If you want to shock your liberal parents, you need to be straitlaced.
如果你想嚇一嚇自由派的父母,那你就要古板一些。
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