How debt-squashed millennials are giving back

The millennial generation is coming of age at an unenviable time in U.S. economic history, burdened by heavy financial debts and weak wage growth.

But that isn't keeping young people from giving back to their communities at an even higher rate than their parents, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-GfK. The poll found that people under 30 are more likely to say that Americans have a "very important obligation" to volunteer than older people. About 20 percent of those under 30 had volunteered in 2013, up from only 14 percent of the under-30 contingent in 1989.

Given that millennials are just hitting their adult years and starting to have families, their volunteering efforts may ramp up. Volunteering typically peaks when people are in their 30s and 40s, when they are more likely to become engaged with schools, community and local government.

That survey supports findings published earlier this year from the consulting firm Achieve, which called millennials a "generation of givers, volunteers and cause activists." That survey found that 52 percent of millennials had volunteered at least four hours in the previous month, while 46 percent had donated more than $1,000 in the past year.

"We're on the crux of something big, because these millennials are going to take this spirit of giving and wanting to change communities and they're going to become parents soon," Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, told The AP. "I am very encouraged by what we're seeing."

The generation, which Pew Research considers people born after 1980, is swayed by social causes in their professional careers as well, Achieve found. Many are inspired to apply for jobs at companies that have a positive effect on the world. Given that there are about 80 million American millennials -- compared with roughly 77 million baby boomers -- that could have a huge impact on how companies recruit and motivate employees.

Despite their willingness to get involved, millennials are facing some serious headwinds.

Debt is crushing many younger adults, with four out of 10 saying they are overwhelmed by their debt obligations, according to a 2014 study by Wells Fargo. By comparison, only 23 percent of boomers say they are overwhelmed with debt. More than half of millennials are living paycheck to paycheck, and aren't putting away savings for the future.

One reason for millennials' heavy indebtedness is their crushing student debt. About 54 percent financed their college education through loans, compared with only one-third of boomers, Wells Fargo found.

While education is critical for career success, the lingering debt can damage a person's financial stability even over the long term. College-educated adults without student debt have an average net worth about about $65,000, or about seven times higher than the $9,000 net worth for college-educated adults who are still paying off loans, Pew found earlier this year.

Given the higher debt loads, shouldn't millennials simply work more and volunteer less? After all, if time is money, then adding hours could help alleviate their financial problems. The trouble is that, because of the uneven economic recovery, young adults are entering the workforce at a tough time. People 25- to 34-years-old had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent in November. By comparison, adults 35 to 44 -- or Generation X members -- had an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent.

On top of higher unemployment, millennials are also facing a wage gap, with the median wage for people between 25 to 34 falling in every major industry, with the exception of health care, according to The Atlantic.

Given their stagnant pay and paucity of career opportunities, it could be that volunteering gives millennials a chance to focus their efforts on projects where they feel they can have an impact.