Let’s talk!

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for!

Comments are the building blocks of dialogue and that’s an important aspect of nextLI. It’s only by sharing ideas with each other that we can start working towards impacting change and building our communities.

We’ve been working hard to make our comments section the best it can possibly be, but of course, we need your help in order to make it a place worth visiting – and revisiting – as we strive to create the Long Island of the future.

Our rules are designed to foster honest conversation among all Long Islanders of all different backgrounds and philosophies. But to do that, we need to keep our comments civil and pertinent to the topic at hand. Bad attitudes and negative behavior will not be tolerated. After all, you can’t have a digital town square if everyone’s voices can’t be heard.

So what are you waiting for? If you’ve been interested in participating in the nextLI community, now’s your chance to do so. We look forward to hearing from you, and happy commenting!

– Michael Cusanelli, nextLI digital producer

Long Island is getting grayer, births are barely outpacing deaths, and only incoming immigration is stopping a total population loss. It’s vital that our suburb be attractive to young adults to ensure a vibrant future. But what does the next generation of Long Islanders want? What do they think about the future of our region and the ways to meet its challenges? Will they stay here, and will those who left return?

nextLI’s inaugural study surveyed the attitudes of Long Island’s young adults today. The findings of more than 1,800 interviews with 18- to 34-year-olds either living on Long Island or who were born here paints a picture worth paying attention to.

These findings are joined by a series of essays written by the next generation of Long Islanders about their attitudes towards the region and the future. These essays, along with our research results, are available on our website. More essays will be published throughout the summer.

Want to send us an essay? Please email nextLI@newsday.com for more information.

• Are there thoughts about difference between actual diversity in communities versus perception of diversity?: We did not define that in our survey as we wanted to survey attitudes, and most people have their own standards and sense of diversity. It could also be that some people do not live in “diverse” communities, but they engage with the small group of diverse population that does live in that community, and so they might feel that they live in a diverse neighborhood.
• How many were from Nassau vs. Suffolk county?: Thirty five percent were from Nassau County, and 40 percent from Suffolk County. Twenty five percent do not currently live on Long Island, but were Long Island residents at some point in their life.
• Any data on percentage who are entrepreneurs?: Fourteen percent of our respondents said they were business entrepreneurs, and seven percent considered themselves philanthropic entrepreneurs. However, this was a question where our respondents could select multiple answers or categories that they felt applied to them. This means that some people could have checked “yes” to both business and philanthropic entrepreneurs.

  Visit our website for more.

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  Out and about
  • A very animated discussion took place at the Digital Ballpark in Plainview, where nextLI’s data journalist Jun-Kai Teoh, presented the next generation survey findings to members of the Urban League of Long Island. Attendees showed a great interest in income inequality across different ethnic groups in the region and how that impacts their ability to invest in their communities or even plan for a future on Long Island.
  • NextLI was invited to share our survey results at the inaugural meeting of the Young Professional Leadership Council held at Newsday. The event brought together leaders of a dozen organizations of young adults on Long Island, including LiiNCS, Minority Millennials, the Unicorn Network, the NextGen Advisory Council to the Suffolk County Legislature, and several Chambers of Commerce leaders.

    If you want nextLI to come present their survey findings to your organization, please email nextLI@newsday.com or contact our outreach and engagement manager, Coralie Saint-Louis.