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Everything you thought you knew about millennials is wrong
(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly)
Millennials are often blamed for whatever ails the economy.
We hear over and over again that millennials aren't contributing to the economy because they are unemployed or they aren't buying homes or cars and they are delaying marriage and kids. We also hear they aren't saving money, they are saddled with debt, and on top of all that — they are lazy and entitled.
An 85-page report by Mizuho Securities sheds new light on this demographic, however, and argues that some of those assumptions are patently wrong.
According to the report, which surveyed more than 1,500 millennials aged 18-34:
1. Millennials do most of their shopping in physical stores.
Sure, they are tech savvy and frequently shop online. But millennials haven't completely abandoned stores and shopping malls.
They like to touch and feel products before they buy them, and still appreciate the experience of shopping in a store. In fact, millennials still complete 54% of shopping in physical stores, according to the report.
2. Millennials save more money than the national average. "Contrary to popular rhetoric regarding a highly challenged consumer who may be burdened with debt and living 'paycheck to paycheck,' our survey of millennials suggests the majority of the demographic (74% of total responses) saves money every month compared to 26% who do not," the report says.
Millennials allocate about 6.7% of their total budget toward a savings plan of some type (401K, IRA, savings account, etc.), according to the study. That's above the US national savings rate of 5.5% per the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
3. Millennials are planning to buy homes. They are delaying home-buying and marriage and kids, but they are planning to get to those life milestones eventually. When asked what they are saving for, millennials said (1) a house, (2) a car, and (3) retirement.
(Mizuho Securities USA)
4. Millennials aren't just relying on Uber and Lyft to get around. They are actually buying cars.
Like with homeownership, many millennials have delayed purchasing cars. But car buying among this demographic is rapidly rising and will continue to grow, according to the report.
About 64% of millennials plan to buy a car in the next two years, and most of those who don't plan to buy a car already own one, according to the data.
Only 5% of respondents said car-sharing services like Uber and Lyft serve as a replacement for owning a car.
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