Portrait of Generation Next

A new report by the Pew Research Center provides new insights into the views and personalities of the 18-to-29-year-old Millennial generation, particularly when it comes to technology.

The report, which is based on telephone interviews with 2,020 adults from Jan. 14 to Jan. 27, 2010, found that technological change has been a badge of generational identity for Millennials, many of which argue that their use of modern technology is what distinguishes them most from other generations. For example, millennials outpace older Americans in virtually all types of Internet and cell phone use, the study found.

Seventy-five percent of millennials said they had a social networking profile, compared to 50 percent of Generation Xers and 30 percent of Baby Boomers. Nearly 90 percent of millennials surveyed said they used a cell phone to send text messages, compared with 77 percent of Generation Xers and 51 percent of Baby Boomers. Millennials also were more likely than older generations to text while driving, with 64 percent saying they've done so, compared with 46 percent of Generation Xers and 21 percent of Baby Boomers.

Use of microblogging Web site Twitter remained minimal among all generations, however. Only 14 percent of Millennials said they used Twitter, compared to 10 percent of Generation Xers and only 6 percent of Baby Boomers.

The survey also found that the majority of the American public has a positive view of modern technology. For example, 64 percent of Americans think that new technology makes life easier. This view is shared across age groups, but more Millennials (74 percent) and Generation Xers (69 percent) say that new technology makes life easier, compared with Baby Boomers (60 percent) and those in the Silent Generation (50 percent). A majority of Millennials (56 percent), Generation Xers (52 percent) and Baby Boomers (54 percent) also think technology helps people use their time more efficiently.

Meanwhile, the survey also found that while the younger generation will likely be the most educated in American history, Millennials also hold the highest share of people who are unemployed or out of the workforce in more than three decades.