Values of the younger generation – greater market power, less shift in values

"The values of the younger generation – a shift in values or market power?" This is the title of the study jointly published today by the Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik and the Dr. Jürgen Meyer Stiftung.

Over the past few months, the two foundations have surveyed company representatives on how they take the values of the younger generation into account when recruiting and retaining staff, and what impact these values have on their organisations. The companies surveyed include representatives from the consumer goods, digital services, financial services, information technology, legal consultancy, energy supply, food production, healthcare, public administration, transport and logistics sectors.

The discussions centred on the question of whether the younger generation places less emphasis on purely economic criteria than older generations. This hypothesis was suggested by the study *Middle Management – Leadership in Times of Massive Upheaval*, published by the two foundations in 2023. However, the current study *The Values of the Younger Generation – A Shift in Values or Market Power?* does not confirm this.

It paints a different picture: we are not witnessing a shift in values, but rather a generation with significant market power that is asserting demands within companies which could pose major challenges for businesses and society in the future. On the one hand, the demands of the younger generation on companies already require a significant investment of resources; on the other, there is a risk that the privileges emerging today will be difficult to reverse later on. Furthermore, should the economic situation deteriorate, there is a risk of a double-loss scenario.

The study examines the impact of the younger generation’s expectations on corporate and leadership culture, as well as on the competitiveness of businesses. It also addresses the question of which values of the younger generation companies should take more seriously today in order to better identify, assess and address future economic and social risks. 

We are pleased to make our study on the values of the younger generation available for download

Study – Values of the younger generation – A shift in values or market power?