Post-baby boomers have inherited a greater acceptance of feminism, same-sex and interracial marriage from their parents. But when it comes to seeking guidance on things like relationships, they don't look to Mom and Dad for advice, a new study suggests.

"Post boomers have learned a lot about how they want to live life from the boomers, but they've also learned a lot about how they don't want to live life,'' says Reginald Bibby, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and author of a recent survey of boomer attitudes.

At the same time, though, "they are not wanting to carry forward a lot of the bigotry that characterized the attitudes of their grandparents,'' he said.

"When I look at the attitudes my parents had toward racial intermarriage -- they just couldn't comprehend that, just didn't think it was good for the kids,'' said Bibby, a borderline boomer.

What the post-boomers "are trying to do is to find bit of a balance between enjoying good relationships while at the same time they want their freedom,'' he said.

The No. 1 goal, though, for everyone remains the "personal freedom'' to make their own decisions, ahead of family life and relationships, said Bibby, just before publication of his new book "The Boomer Factor: What Canada's Most Famous Generation is Leaving Behind,'' (Bastian Books $19.95).

The book, to hit store shelves in October, is based on the latest research (completed in 2005) in his Project Canada Survey series which measures changes in boomers' attitudes. Bibby has conducted a survey every five years, starting in 1975.

In 1975, 94 per cent of boomers approved of premarital sex. That slipped slightly to 86 per cent in 2005. Among Canadians as a whole, 67 per cent approved of premarital sex in 1975 and 80 per cent in 2005.

On marijuana use, 43 per cent of boomers approved of its use in 1975, rising to 48 per cent in 2005. Among the general population, 26 per cent approved in 1975 and 45 per cent in 2005.

On interracial marriage, 81 per cent of boomers approved of it in 1975, rising to 94 per cent in 2005. Among the population as a whole, only 45 per cent approved such marriages in 1975, rising to 90 per cent in 2005.

On gay relations, 43 per cent of boomers (28 per cent among Canadians as a whole) approved of homosexuality in 1975, rising to 66 per cent (62 per cent overall) in 2005.

Bibby's study involved about 2,400 people and was conducted by mail between July and November 2005 with a return rate of about 65 per cent. It is considered accurate within 2.5 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times in 20.

Boomers have had a huge impact on how Canadians view themselves not only because of their numbers -- between 1980 and 2000 they comprised about 50 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 64 -- but also because of the influential positions they have held throughout society.

Their views on many things -- sex before marriage, smoking marijuana, as well homosexuality and marriage between races -- were so dramatically different from those of their pre-boomer parents that they caused a dramatic shift in social mores, said Bibby.

Bibby points to the 1960s freedom movements -- civil rights, sexual revolution, women's liberation -- in the United States as a principle source for this shift. Canadian boomers embraced the notion of relativism in morality and ethics-- no absolutes in lifestyle choices -- that grew out of these movements, he said.

This led to a move away from deference to authority to discernment over the past 30 years among both boomers and their kids, said Bibby. Today, 85 per cent of baby boomers and 82 per cent of post baby boomers say people in authority have to earn their respect.

Among post- baby boomers, Bibby has found some signs of change from the way their parents think. For instance, approval of premarital sex has dropped today to 77 per cent, from around 90 per cent back in 1975.

Nevertheless, individuality is highly valued by 75 per cent of adults under 35, about the same as the boomer crowd. On respect for authority, it's 60 per cent for the under 35s and 69 per cent for the boomers. On need to follow rules, the under 35s come in at 52 per cent and the boomers at 67 per cent.

The downside to individuality, says Bibby, is trying to find a balance between individual freedom and the group. While there's nothing more important than freedom to most Canadians, the data in the survey also indicate that relationships are important, said Bibby.

In 2005, 92 per cent of boomers (up from 86 per cent in 1995) indicated that freedom was the most important thing to them, while 80 per cent (up from 79 per cent in 1995) said that friendship was also important.

Among their offspring, freedom and friendship were almost tied in the 2005 data, with freedom coming in at 85 per cent and friendship at 84 per cent.

Bibby says that while the tremendous emphasis that the boomers have had on individual freedom is going to be a permanent part of their legacy, post-baby boomers are doing some "cherry picking'' from the rest of it.

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