What’s your impression of the next generation of adults? Are young people today more moral and ethical than they were 20 years ago?

Popular TV shows and other media regularly depict teenagers making questionable life choices. However, things are much different in reality. In fact, young people today in Eastern Missouri and across the country are more apt to make responsible decisions and refrain from risky behaviors than young people in the recent past.

This is one of the findings in the latest study released by the Girl Scout Research Institute. The study, Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens Today, is a fascinating look at how young people’s beliefs and values on a range of issues, from lying and cheating to drinking and smoking, have changed over the last two decades.

The nationwide survey involved more than 3,200 girls and boys in grades 3 through 12 and included focus groups with girls and moms in St. Louis. The study is nearly identical to one Girl Scouts commissioned in 1989, and a comparison of the two shows a clear shift toward more ethical and responsible values among tweens and teens.

Here are some examples from the study:

  • Nearly two out of three young people surveyed in 2009 say they would not cheat on a test, compared to about half in 1989.
  • Fifty-eight percent say they would refuse an alcoholic drink if offered one at a party; that’s compared to 46 percent in 1989.
  • Only 18 percent (compared to 27% in 1989) say they believe smoking is okay if the person finds it enjoyable.

The study reveals that our young people value diversity and civic involvement in a big way:

  • Nearly six in 10 say that being around people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is important to them.
  • Eighty-four percent are more likely to vote in the future, versus 77% of their predecessors.
  • Seventy-eight percent believe it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the environment.
  • Some 79 percent say they will volunteer in their community.

I find these results to be very encouraging. Today’s generation of tolerant, responsible, civic-minded young people represents positive potential for the future.

Of course, this is not to say all is perfect. While many young people have good intentions about making responsible choices, they need help connecting these desires to action. That’s where adults come in. It is our responsibility to bridge these good intentions into good actions.

Organizations like Girl Scouts can help, by offering opportunities for girls to come together, develop skills and take the lead in projects that serve our community. GSEM’s annual April Showers campaign engages thousands of girls in collecting personal care items to benefit local families in need. Participants in our Challenge and Change program are developing sustainable solutions to specific community problems. Through the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Award projects, girls make the world a better place by championing a cause of their choice.

Opportunities like these help girls express themselves, build leadership skills, and develop the moral and ethical values that will serve them—and all of us—very well for generations to come.

Read the full study or the summary: http://www.girlscouts.org/research/publications/girlleadership/good_intentions.asp

And please share your thoughts with us.