Take a walk around your local grocery store or even your nearest coffee lounge. Observe the people around you, especially our youth.

Your eyes will soon find that there is an astounding amount of millennials glued to their electronic devices. What they are looking at are the latest social media updates from their closest inner circles or the newest videos gone viral.

What they are not looking at, however, is product recall notices. Yes, they’ve adopted a “pick and choose” mentality where these recall notices aren’t being picked nor chosen.

Read on to learn why millennials are the most likely age group to ignore product recall notices.

Millennials and the Results of the “Pick and Choose” Era

In a consumer survey of over 1,000 Americans conducted by Stericycle Expert Solutions, they found that most people comply with recall notices for food, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, and consumer electronics; however, for millennials, not so much.

Based on the survey, millennials ages 18 to 34 are the least likely across all other age groups to comply with product recalls. That is, millennials, after reading or being informed of recall notices, were found to be twice as likely as baby boomers to ignore them, throw them away in the trash, or consider them to have little importance.

One very important result found in the survey was that nearly 70% of the respondents judged product recall notices based on what level they personally felt they were at harm. Millennials are more likely to act on a product recall if they feel they might be personally affected—thus, the “pick and choose” mentality.

Interestingly, both millennials and other age groups can treat food recalls and pharmaceutical recalls seriously, however, it is how these groups act and respond. Millennials are not as likely to discard item defects or contact the manufacturer as other Americans.

It is the influence of the “pick and choose” mentality that really determines whether a product recall is of importance to a millennial. Ultimately, “personal relevance” is the determiner of whether he or she is at risk and acts accordingly—and urgently.

What does this mean for everyone else? Organizations like the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, product manufacturers, consumer protection groups, and others interested in consumer safety need to carefully rethink how they are communicating with this new generation.

Michael Good, the Vice President of Marketing and Sales Operations at Stericycle Expert Solutions states, “The lesson for both regulatory bodies and product manufacturers is to make recall compliance easier and more relevant to this generation.”

What Should You Do If You Are Injured by a Defective Product?

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury from a defective and dangerous product, you should seek legal advice from an attorney at The Cochran Firm National. Call 1-(800) 843-3476 now.