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Are social norms steadily unraveling?

Young people today are less concerned about social approval and society's standards than their peers of generations past, says new research analyzed across six decades.
The analysis of responses from 40,745 children, adolescents and young adults who completed surveys between 1958 and 2001 finds less need to heed social norms and accepted standards of behavior.

"It goes beyond etiquette. It's not just about manners. It's more obliviousness that characterizes it — just not thinking about what other people think and other people's feelings," says Jean Twenge, an associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University who will discuss her findings at a conference next week.

Among kids today, 62% of college students say they pay little attention to social conventions. In 1958, an average of 50% did. Among ages 9-12, the difference was even greater — 76% in 1999, compared with an average of 50% in 1963.

Read more: USA Today