| Why the young get a bad press | Ally Fogg The problem extends beyond grumpy newspaper editors – it seems our psychology demands bad news about youthHere's a sentence you won't read every day: "The vast majority of young people in London are a real credit to their local communities." These are the words of Richard Taylor, father of murdered 10-year-old Damilola Taylor. He was seconded by Olympic medallist Natasha Danvers, as they jointly launched the Pride of London awards in Damilola's name. "London has got a bad rap for youth crime," Danvers said. "But we should do a lot more to highlight all the good things young people here are doing because some of them are putting us adults to shame with what they are achieving."I wholeheartedly agree, and so does the evidence. This week a report from the Jack Petchey Foundation painted an unfamiliar picture: 75% of young people regularly volunteer to help others, and most have values far removed from the fame-and-fortune obsession normally attributed to the X-Factor generation.You're unlikely to have read about these remarks or findings in any newspaper, however. According to Google, not a single national has reported either story. With perfect timing, one of the reasons for this wall of silence may have been revealed by an intriguing new psychological study.Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick of Ohio State University gave 276 volunteers an online magazine to browse. She found that older people preferred to read negative news about young people, rather than positive news. What's more, those older readers who choose to read negative stories about young individuals receive a small boost to their self-esteem as a result. Younger readers, in contrast, prefer not to read about older people at all.The study was designed to test social identity construction theories, and the author believes it demonstrates that we use media to "enhance our social identities". Jargon-busted, she seems to be suggesting that in a youth-obsessed world, older people revel in a moment of smug satisfaction whenever they are reminded of the failings of youth. You might think the theory sounds speculative, and I might tend to agree, but the main finding certainly rings true.We gravitate towards information that confirms our opinions, and tend to avoid that which will undermine or challenge us. It is just one of the many examples of cognitive biases at play in decision-making and judgment. Having our prejudices confirmed makes us feel better about ourselves, that is why we get the gleeful urge to say "I told you so". This study may be most revealing because it does not demonstrate a general schadenfreude, but a one-directional, specific effect that should give us pause to think about the media's coverage of young people.Newspaper editors generally know who their customers are and what they want to read, and this research supports the argument that the media tend to over-report bad news about young people, and under-report the good.Few would argue that modern youngsters get more bad press than any generation in history. The debate is about whether or not that bad press is deserved, and those arguments have been well rehearsed. With my journalist's cap on, I understand why sensational stories sell – if it bleeds, it leads. One horrific murder is more newsworthy than a million everyday good deeds. Yes, some young people have real problems, and some of them cause real problems. When one in four adults say they will cross the road to avoid young people, something has gone badly awry.Of course there is little point calling on the British press to exercise restraint. As a package they are as self-righteous, stubborn and belligerent as any roomful of teenagers. It falls to us as readers to bear in mind that in this context, as in so many others, we may be manipulated in our understanding of the world, not just by mendacious or vindictive media reports, but by our own inescapable psychology.Young peoplePsychologyAlly Foggguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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