Millenials say that calling them a snowflake is unfair and damaging to their mental health, according to a new study.
According to a study by Aviva health insurance, 72 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds said the term “snowflake” is unfairly applied, while 74 percent said the term is damaging to their mental health.
The term “snowflake” typically refers to young adults who are overly sensitive and intolerant.
Of U.K. adults surveyed, 58 percent said that the term “Generation Snowflake” was unfairly applied, while 57 percent said that it damages mental health.
In addition, 59 percent of U.K. adults said younger people are facing harder challenges that other generations, and 57 percent said people should be more sympathetic and understanding toward young adults.
Another Aviva study found that 63 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 24 say they have experienced a mental health condition, compared to 47 percent of adults.
Prager U (Twitter)
“Our findings suggest that young adults are more likely to be experiencing mental health problems, so using a phrase which criticizes this age group could add to this issue. Any term used disparagingly to a segment of the population is inherently negative,” Medical Director Dr. Doug Wright said.
“While young adults in particular appear to take offense to the ‘snowflake’ label, the majority of adults agree that the term is unfair and unhelpful, so it’s important that people consider how such labels are used, and the cumulative effect they could have on their recipients,” he added.
The study surveyed 2,022 nationally representative U.K. adults aged 16 and above for the Snowflake research. And 4,205 were surveyed for the mental health research.
