PSU Magazine Winter 1997

W hatever happened to sex, drugs, and rock 'n' ro ll ? Now it's scheduled quality time, nutri– tional supplements, and a violin vers ion of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The Me Generation is turning 50, and they're starting to think about the long, strange trip ahead. The Me Generation. The Counter Cu lture. The Baby Boom. The 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. They form the largest popu– lation bulge any place, any time in world history. As the crest of the tsunami turns 50, what do boomers think of themselves and where they're going? Urban stud ies Professor David Morgan, is finding out. Perhaps most surprising is that baby boomcrs expect the values of the sixtie -politi cal activism, communal living, committed environmental– ism-to re-emerge when they retire. Casting a meaningful glance at their parents' generation, boomers say they won't retire and promptly forget their social responsibility. In read, they'll re-arm for the good fight against corporate indifference, industry greed, and political corrup– tion. They'll li ve in cooperatives rather than flee to winter home in Palm prings. They'll harken back to the spirit that launched the original Earth Day and forego Winnebagos for eco-travel, cast as ide wanton consumption fo r simple living, and nurture Spaceship Earth. Or maybe not. The man responsible for unearthing this vein of boomer beliefs isn't ready to turn off the camcorder just yet. "I've done my best to capture what is on the minds of baby boomers today," says Morgan. "But I'm perfectly prepared for these 8 PSU MAGAZINE WINTER I997 specu lations to be ridiculous by the time the baby boom tarts to retire." Morgan, a social psychologist with the Institute on Aging, is researching baby boomers' attitudes on aging and retirement by asking the boomers themselves what they think is likely to happen. In one of several unusual twists in the project, Morgan is buck– ing standard research procedure by combining surveys and focus groups to gather his information. "A we ll-done survey is a cross– section of a wider population, reason– ably accurate, statistically informative ... but it's a snapshot frozen in time," he says. "A focus group is like a conversation around the lunch table. Everybody brings a little bit to the discus ion, and it stimulates people's thinking. You mine a very rich vein of detail." For instance, boomers say they're certain to retire with a lower standard of living than their parents. After all, their par imonious parents socked away extra money in savings accounts for their old age. Live-for-today boomers put leftover money, if there ever is any, toward their cred it card balances. Social Security? Forget it. b omers know that safety net i at ground zero. A !though they concede the money card to their parents, boomers are expecting to trump on the issue of hea lth. After all, they ·. .· . ~ -- -