The answers to questions ranging from how committed employers are to hiring minorities to how welcoming southwestern Pennsylvania is to racial and ethnic minorities often differ depending on the age of those who are asked.
In the workplace
The youngest workers surveyed are the least likely to be impressed by employers’ diversity practices and commitment.
For example, 42.7 percent of those 24 years of age or younger and 42.5 percent of workers aged 25-34 see their employers as “very committed” to recruiting and hiring racial and ethnic minorities. By comparison, 56 percent of workers aged 55-64 and 60 percent of those aged 65 or older give their employer’s commitment to hiring minorities similarly high marks.
Workers aged 25-34 also are the least likely to see employers as very committed to promoting and advancing minority workers and to recruiting a generally diverse workforce. They are also the least likely to report they are “very satisfied” with their jobs.
Most workers feel diversity in the workplace is important, regardless of their age. For example, while those 24 or younger are the least likely to strongly agree that there is value in a diverse workplace, 69 percent of them believe there is value.
Lack of advancement at work and wages are the most often mentioned reasons why younger residents would leave the region, followed by the relocation of a partner. Not surprisingly, work-related issues become less important as residents age. By the time they reach 55, the chief reason why they would leave the region is to move closer to family.
In the community
Older residents, on the other hand, feel most strongly that southwestern Pennsylvania is worth recommending. That’s particularly true of those aged 65 and older, 72 percent of whom say they’d definitely endorse it, compared with 53 percent of residents who are under 25.
The youngest and oldest residents are the most likely residents to feel the region embraces racial and ethnic minorities and diversity in general.
But it is the youngest residents who are the most likely to invite someone of another race to their home and to have been to the home of someone of another race or ethnicity. For instance, only about 9 percent of those 24 or younger have never visited the home of someone of another race while more than 38 percent of residents 65 and older say they have never done so.
To view a PDF version of the report, click here. To view the complete survey data by category, click here. Separate sections of the report are listed below.