Really. Tale a look at this chart from Ad Age. Apparently the trend is common knowledge in the auto, advertising and marketing industries. And probably quite a few others.
No one is quite sure why, although young people themselves cite environmental concerns. And since it’s a 30-year trend, it’s probably not because of unemployment or gas prices.
One theory – and the one that fascinates me – is that things like Skype and Facebook have given younger generations a new way to be together, without actually ‘being together.’
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
And driving cost $$$…..
That THEY don’t have and neither does their PARENTS!
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True james, but it’s a 30 year trend . . .
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To be honest, I wish there were some reasonable public transportation around here. Driving always makes me want to strangle random strangers.
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Public transportation ukse is way up too – when it’s even available, which it mostly isn’t in this country. I used to drive to work – an hour plus each way – in NY Metro area. I had to stop though, after the day I found myself actually starting to turn the wheel to chase a woman who had annoyed me. Really happened. I wanted to smash into the side of her car. After that, I became a train commuter.
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An hour. Wow, I only do about 45 minutes, and not that bad a traffic.
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Wasn’t getting a driver’s license a rite of passage when we were young? Maybe the kids just don’t want to grow up.
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For better or worse, the whole coming of age by defining an identity and separateness from your parents seems less important to kids now than was true in 60’s and 70’s when I was growing up.
For example, I know lots of young folks in their 20’s who seem to enjoy music from my youth and even before. When I was in my youth NOBODY my age listened to Sinatra or Bing Crosby, it would identify you with the over 30 crowd.
There seems to be a lot less desire to accomplish that kind of separation now, or so it seems to me.
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Speak for yourself bruce! We loved the music of previous generations, especialy all the big band stuff. Of course, my Dad played it all the time, so maybe that was why.
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I think kids are becoming bigger p*ssies. They don’t want the adult responsibility of driving. It’s “scary”. They want to sit at home and watch the Disney channel.
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Hey marbanie, welcome. I do agree that kids are not growing up as fast as they should – we coddle and protect them too much. But the Disney channel? I don’t htink there’s a teenager alive who would want to be caught watching the Disney channel!
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