Welcome to the voices of young people podcast brought to you by
springtide Research Institute. In each episode.
We hear directly from young people, as they respond, to our
research and share about the issues impacting their lives, as
sociologists and researchers. We see a new story unfolding for
young people. One, that moves, Traditional
institutional boundaries and requires careful attention to
the inner and outer live of emerging Generations at the
intersection of being and becoming.
It's the voices of young people. All right, you have any other
questions before we get going? If I sound really scatterbrained
or say a lot of homes and aahs, what do we do?
Hi everybody. Welcome to the voices of young
people podcast. I'm your host, dr.
Josh Packard. I'm really excited to be here
today, with one of our interns, Donna.
You want to introduce yourself? Hi, I'm Donna.
And Donna told, tell everybody a little bit about who you are and
what you do. Yeah.
So I've been interning with spring tide for my spring
semester. Currently a second year college.
And I'm a Psychology major and pass back, and we've been so
happy to have you. I mean, your work that you've
done the perspective you brought for us has been invaluable.
Oh, stop it. I'm serious.
It's been, it's been really great.
Thank you. You know, a big part of what
we've been working on while you've been with us is you came
into sort of the middle of the belonging report which comes out
here in a few days. And there were some really
important findings out of that report that I kind of wanted to
talk with you about today and get your perspective on not
necessarily like the validity of the findings but but more so
about how you see these things showing up in your own life and
and chief among those, you know, we found Is right in line with
what Cigna and other large Studies have found about
isolation and loneliness. Namely, that it's impacting
younger Generations more so than ever before.
Our data importantly, I think goes all the way down to 13
where most study stop at 18 and shows the these.
These younger Generations are more isolated than any other
generation and more isolated than they've ever been there.
Lonelier. They're more socially
disconnected. And I'm wondering, you know, as
you, you know, you were right in this target age group.
In range, you've already completed a lot of those years
between 13 and 25. How do you see this showing up
in your own life? yeah, I mean, I think I mean you
still connect with people through technology but it's so
much easier. So if I have the opportunity to
go out somewhere and do something with people or just
message them through my phone, I would choose that just because
it takes less effort, and in the moment I think they're both
equally good ways of connection, but I know in the long run, it
is not as good at Waiting long lasting relationships as doing
face-to-face. Yeah, definitely.
Oh, I see what me and so what makes you feel that way, that
it's not as that, it's useful, but maybe not as conducive to
long-term sustainability. I mean, there's only so much you
can communicate and only so deep.
You can get when you're talking and saying LOL, and using
emojis. I mean, you know, we have an
acute emojis. Now though, Donna, I do write
the ultimate way to communicate. Yeah.
It's definitely a lot more superficial than face-to-face
communication is and it's also more limiting, you know, there
aren't as many opportunities for the conversation to Branch out
there are fewer opportunities for new people to join the
conversation and I think that definitely impacts how I connect
personally. It's really interesting that you
brought up this that they're less when you're doing
electronic Communication in a lot of ways.
It's very confined, and constrained, and it leaves less
room for other people. Going talk about that and why?
That's important. Yeah, so I mean I think everyone
is susceptible to this but I definitely can fall into an echo
chamber with who I talk to. And it's good to talk to people
that you have common interests with and people, you know, you
have similar perspectives on the world but that can be really
limiting for your personal growth.
I think it's important to listen to people who don't think like,
you and who aren't interested in what?
You're interested in, hmm? Yeah, it's a really good point.
The one of the things when you talk about personal growth, I
mean, you know, the big focus at spring tide is as we say, you
know, the intersection between the sort of religious and daily
lives or inner and outer lives. And you're talking about
personal growth here with other people is that it does, that
does that lack of sort of bringing in outside voices?
Do you think that has an impact on the development of your
spiritual life? Definitely, definitely 100% And
I wish it didn't. But the thing is, once you now
that that's the common way that people communicate, it's even
harder to get away from, you know, technology.
I don't think I could just walk into a religious institution
that I know nothing about just because I'm curious and, you
know, feel comfortable with doing it, but I wish I could
because it's definitely the way I talk to people.
It definitely Ntly limits, my spiritual growth and I wish it
didn't. What do you think would do you
think that you'd be more challenged?
Or is it that you think you would that you would find
something that resonates with you?
I mean, what do you think? I know that you don't know but
if you're guessing, what do you think that you would be missing?
Yeah, I don't know. I don't, I don't want to
necessarily be challenged. I kind of have such a diverse.
I, such a hippie perspective on spirituality and I think, I
think every religion is great and, you know, amazing and I
don't really want to change anyone's mind.
I have my mind changed but I could definitely resonate with
aspects of religiosity and, you know, every religion and, and I
think that's a really great way to connect with people, and I
feel like I'm missing out on it. Yeah, that's a really good
point. I think, even back to my own
college experience is like, I don't know that I like your,
you're spot-on, like, in the days, you know, I'm not I don't
think I'm that old. You may think otherwise but
certainly, I can Collagen like Curry, social media, and those
kinds of things. And the conversations that I
remember having in that very stereotypical, like, around the
dorm room, you know, way that doesn't actually happen all that
often anymore, if it ever really did, they weren't so much about
changing people's minds, but you brought this really interesting
point that I'd like to talk more about that.
There were like aspects of people's religious faith and
practice that I did end up taking into consideration.
Whether it was about how to pray, or how to worship and what
rituals were Tonor how to be intentional and thoughtful that
those didn't? It becoming now that I think
about it, rick really important pieces for me.
Can you talk more about that? Yeah, definitely I mean I just
think people who are more religious in general, there is
this collectivistic attitude about it and I think it's so
amazing that people will have a community and they all have a
similar perspective and they're all there for each other.
You know, like we all care about each other, you can go to their
house and ask for a cup of sugar if you're making.
Cookies on you ran out of sugar. And I feel like my spirituality
is very individualistic and, you know, that's good in some, in
some ways but but in other ways, I don't like it.
I wish I had a community of people who had similar beliefs
to me because, yeah, I don't know.
You just need people to fall back on, you know.
Yeah. It's a really lovely way of
saying that I mean and makes me like I want that for you too,
like the right, Unity of people that you can fall back on and
and in some ways and this, you know, this that is what concerns
me personally about. The these rates of isolation and
loneliness, among young people, especially because these are
such formative and important times to be finding those
communities of people. And I don't know if they're
well, we know that they're not finding them, all right?
You've recently, I mean, within the last few years, anyway, you
you transition from high school to college.
How did that impact this? You know, did you find yourself
like, was it a relief to get out of high school?
Or was it like, oh, there's a lot.
There's a loss of community there and I don't know how to
replace it. There was no police.
There was a relief because I'm both there's relief, because I
was ready, you know, I outgrew the high school experience, but
at the same time it is very comforting to know that I have a
group of friends. And even if we're only friends
because we're forced to spend eight hours a day together,
we're still friends, you know? And you'll still be here
tomorrow and I'll still see you. That was there's a lot of
security in that and then in college It's a free-for-all,
there's there's less opportunity to meet people.
Schedules are all over the place and you you really have to put
in effort if you want to find friends.
They don't just fall into your lap.
So that's yeah, that's a really good point.
Like, in some ways it's the least structured Time of Your
Life between this K through 12 education experience.
And then for most people if you know obviously not everybody has
a gap between K12 education in the workforce and some people
are doing them. Concurrently a lot of people
are. In fact, if not East.
But but if, but regardless like the notion at some point, you'll
you'll, you will certainly have a professional job.
You're very bright, and you will have this regular schedule with
colleagues that you see, on a regular basis.
But right now, you're right, like, you are in sort of the
space where every day is, maybe not up for grabs, but it's a lot
less structured, right? And it's when you need people,
you know, it's a transitional period and it's, it's really
when you need to find P. Even if you just even if you
have people who you can just commiserate with, you know, you
don't have those people and it's tough.
Well and not. So one of the things that we
found in the study about you know it's not the study isn't
just about as you know like documenting the rates of
loneliness and isolation but then also what can be done about
it and as we talked, you know, as I've been around the last 10
years or so, doing some research and talking with people who are
practitioners in the field, I get a lot of the sense of like,
what we have to be doing something more than just
listening. But you know, to young people
like we have to be doing G. We have to be moving them from
one state to another state of religious being or something.
And it kind of sounds like what you're saying is that, at least
at this time, in your life, it would be great.
If somebody was just there just sit and listen.
Yeah. 100% or even just like, everyone's in the same boat when
they go to college and everybody struggling, and everyone's kind
of fused, and I kind of thought everyone being in that boat
would sort of form these relationships and it really
hasn't, because people just choose to be Confused and lonely
with their phone in their hand. You know what, people need
confused and lonely with their phone in their hand.
That's just such a I mean I think that's such a succinct way
of putting it in certain sort of sad and, you know, as you're
talking like it strikes. Me that maybe it's like it's
just enough connection, right? To make you keep turning to it
but it's not really enough to fill you up.
Exactly, exactly. Yeah, yeah.
Well, it's certainly understandable that people.
You know, in those moments that they would say, like well at
least I have this and they would dig further into it even if it
doesn't isn't ultimately. The thing.
That's super useful, it sort of means that like adults, who are
trying to reach out to young, people would do well to keep
pushing for those in-person relationships, huh?
Uh, huh. I think sometimes, I mean, I'm,
you know, I'm, I'm a resistant when people who are older than
me, you know, sort of tell me what I need sure, if they phrase
it like that, me too. And I'm 40 right?
You know, but people that are older than you do.
Have a lot of wisdom. And I think it's all about
framing it in the in the right way and persistence and I think,
I think you can get through the young people that way.
Yeah. Well it sounds like even maybe
taking a pause on the telling them what to do part and just
sort of listening to what's going on with them, let them
vent to you. Young people have so much to be
sad about and worried about, you know, and they need someone to
Listen and go. Yep, I get it, I get it.
I understand where you're coming from.
And, you know, actually, I'm not all that different from you
either. I'm also concerned about that,
and I'm also worried about that, and I think that's an important
conversation to have. Yeah, it's like, I'm completely
agree. Well, John, thank you for just
sitting and reflecting with me for a few minutes here on on
belonging the report again is belonging reconnecting America's
loneliest Generations. Your work is reflected in the
report and many of the things that we do at spring tide and so
not just Just a thank you for this podcast, but thank you for
all that you've done for us and it's much appreciated.
Thank you very much Josh. It was great talking to you.
Hey folks, John has been one of our amazing interns this past
spring semester. And if you care about the same
kinds of things, we care about it, spring tide and your college
student. We would love to see an
application from you. We have internships running in
the summer in each of the spring and fall semesters, you can find
instructions for how to apply for marketing internships or
data research analysis kind of internships at springtide.
Research, dot-org look forward to hearing from you.
Visit springtide research dot-org to hear more voices of
young people and to download our latest research report,
belonging reconnecting America's loneliest, generation, sign up
for our newsletter, and be the first to learn about our
upcoming research and ways to take action in your own
communities. Today's show was produced by TJ
Birnbaum with original music by high school student.
Christian unthank special. Thanks to Our Guest today and
all the young people whose perspectives and insights, make
our research possible. Remember to find us on social
media Media at, we are spring tide and share your own story
with the hashtag show up for young people.
Thanks for listening.