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Age-based trends among younger adults may serve as an early signal for broader social changes

• There are more opportunities for people to interact with foreign nationals today than in the past.
• Student loan debt and alternative financial instruments are potential risks.
• Marijuana use is less of a concern, while nonmedical prescription drug use is a rising concern.
• Digital personal conduct is seen as an emerging risk.

The United States could face challenges in the near future with recruiting and retaining younger generations into both public trust positions and, specifically, sensitive positions that require more in-depth personnel vetting for the purposes of receiving a security clearance. For one, there is some evidence that expectations by younger adults for these positions — particularly in the government sector — may differ from those of older age groups. Furthermore, several factors that traditionally and historically have been used to gauge an individual's eligibility for a security clearance (e.g., lifestyle choices and behaviors, personal and professional associations, financial circumstances) no longer may be feasible or applicable to younger age cohorts in the same manner they were applied to earlier generations. The authors identified select trends, including age-based factors, among younger adults to understand broader social changes that may affect current security clearance adjudication guidelines for positions in the U.S. government.

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