A unique survey that offers a view on the future and their employment goals, via the Millennial generation. Image from Thinkstock.

There may have been tornadoes in New York, earthquakes in Virginia, a debt downgrade, deadly dictatorial crackdowns, and more than a few government shutdown threats, but that didn’t phase Millennials in America or abroad.

Either that, or they think it just couldn’t possibly get any worse.

Two out of every three are optimistic that 2012 will be a better year than 2011, according in InSites, which surveyed 4,000 young people in sixteen countries. The survey takes a unique pulse on the youth’s view on the future and their employment goals.

Maybe it’s just natural youthful optimism — just 33% of Americans overall believe we are ‘on the right track’ says RealClearPolitics. That theory would be supported by the survey’s results in Brazil, Russia, and China, where over three of every four people aged 15 to 25 was looking forward with any excitement.

It can’t be good for all of us, can it?

InSites claims in the latter half of their survey, which focused on employment goals, that more than half of youth want to be self-employed.

Seems tricky (if everyone is self-employed, it’s going to be very hard to find good employees unless you hire mom and dad), but these figures do offer a glimpse into the psyche of the 21st century adolescent and the Internet allows for self-employment from anywhere in the world in sales, web design, freelance writing or even exotic dancing.

If they do have to be employed the old-fashioned way, the pharmaceutical sector is the top choice. Some of the least popular options include fast food, alcohol, tobacco, and oil.

It appears that the college generation aims to be a little healthier than their parents, and perhaps a bit more environmentally friendly too. Of all the political issues young people could focus on, they selected the recession and air and water pollution as their top priorities.

Also high on the list of political priorities are racism/radicalism, and global warming.

Youth want to be consulted on political issues, but only 3% actually want to be politicians. Almost all the most popular professions are in the creative sphere—writing, design, music, acting, and modeling are in the top 10.

Hard science and company leadership made the top three, while almost nobody aimed for comedian or media personality.

So maybe it’s just natural for young people to dream big and shoot for the silver screen or the book shelf, or as Cornell sophomore Becky Plotkin suggested “Maybe it’s just because it’s been such a warm winter, so everyone’s a little happier.”

Does this sound like the college generation to you? Are you looking forward to the coming year?

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